Lesothosaurus

FACT SHEET: lesothosaurus

NAME: LESOTHOSAURUS (les-SOH-TOE-sau-rus), meaning: "Lizard from Lesotho" SIZE: 3 feet long (the size of a dog) TYPE OF DIET: Herbivore (plant fibers) WHEN: Late Triassic period (208 - 200 million years ago) WHERE: Lesotho, Southern Africa

Lesothosaurus lived about 208-200 million years ago. It came a little later in the Triassic period and lived until the middle of the Jurassic period. It was a small, light dinosaur. It was bipedal, meaning that it walked on its two hind legs. Lesothosaurus was a fast, agile runner. It was probably also able to walk on all four legs if it was looking for food on the ground. It was about three feet long, about the size of a dog. It had four toes on its feet and five fingers on its hands. Its arms were short and it had a long, pointed tail. Lesothosaurus was an herbivore, or a plant-eating dinosaur. It had sharp, pointed teeth at the front of its mouth and teeth with arrow-like spikes in the back. It probably ate tough plant fibers. Lesothosaurus had a long, curving neck and a small head. It had a short, flat snout and large eyes, so we believe it was able to see very well. Some paleontologists believe that its large eyes let this dinosaur see very well at night. Lesothosaurus lived in hot, dry areas. Its bones were found in what is now Southern Africa. It was named after the place it was first discovered: Lesotho. Two Lesothosaurus fossils were found curled up together in a cave. A lot of extra, ground-down teeth were found near the two skeletons. Paleontologists believe that these two might have died while hibernating, or sleeping, during the hottest months of the year. They probably lost their teeth while they were asleep.