Name:
Anchisaurus (Greek for "near lizard"); pronounced ann-chih-SORE-us
Habitat:
Woodlands of eastern North America
Historical Period:
Middle Jurassic (190 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 6 feet long and 100 pounds
Diet:
Plants
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Long, slim body; ridged teeth for shredding leaves
About Anchisaurus:
Anchisaurus is another one of those dinosaurs that was unearthed ahead of its time: when this small herbivore was first dug up in 1818, no one knew quite what to make of it. It was only in 1885 that the famed paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh identified it as a dinosaur, though (of course) its exact classification couldn't be pinned down until more was known about these extinct creatures.
Today, most paleontologists believe Anchisaurus was a prosauropod, light, four-legged plant-eaters that eventually evolved into giant herbivores like Brachiosaurus and Apatosaurus. However, it's also possible that Anchisaurus was some kind of intermediate species, since there's (inconclusive) evidence that it may have supplemented its diet with meat.
