스타 우리 코 사우루스 의 골격 ( 위 ) 과 골격도 ( 아래 C , 발견 된 화석 ) 스타 우리 코 사우루스 의 크기 비교 스타 우리 코 사우루스 의 이미지 위키피디아 Staurikosaurus ( " Southern Cross lizard ") is a genus of early dinosaur from the Late Triassic of Brazil . DiscoveryThe first known specimen of Staurikosaurus was recovered from the Paleontological Site Jazigo Cinco of the Santa Maria Formation in the geopark of paleorrota , Rio Grande do Sul , southern Brazil . The genus name refers to the star constellation " The Southern Cross ", pictured in the coat of arms of Brazil and only visible in the southern hemisphere - when Staurikosaurus was described in 1970 , it was unusual to find dinosaurs in the southern hemisphere . The specific name honours the Brazilian paleontologist Llewellyn Ivor Price , who discovered it in 1936 . It was described by Edwin Harris Colbert , working at the American Museum of Natural History . The rarity of Staurikosaurus remains may be a result of it being uncommon while alive , or because it lived in an environment like a forest , where fossils rarely form . DescriptionStaurikosaurus was a small theropod from the late Triassic Period , 225 million years ago - specifically the Carnian age . It is one of the earliest dinosaurs that is known . At just 2 . 25 metres ( 7 . 4 ft ) , 80 centimetres tall ( 31 in ) , and weighing just 30 kilograms ( 66 lb ) , Staurikosaurus was tiny in comparison to later theropods like Megalosaurus . Newer research seems to confirm that Staurikosaurus and the related Herrerasaurus are definite theropods and evolved after the sauropod line had split from the Theropoda . There exists very incomplete fossil record of Staurikosaurus , consisting most of the spine , the legs and the large lower jaw . However , dating from such an early period in the dinosaurs ' history and being otherwise so primitive , most of Staurikosaurus ' other features as being primitive also can be reconstructed . For example , Staurikosaurus is usually depicted with five toes and five fingers - very simple features of an unspecialised dinosaur . However , since the skeletal structure of the legs is known , it can be seen that Staurikosaurus was a quick runner for its size . It also had just two vertebrae joining the pelvis to the spine , a distinctly primitive arrangement . The tail would have been long and thin to balance the border - later sauropods had larger , shorter tails relative to their weight .