Dinosaurs Around the World · Drawing 03 of 34
Early Days: Herrerasaurus
Argentina · Triassic · about 230 million years ago
Herrerasaurus was among the early known dinosaurs. Dinosaurs descended from older reptiles. New groups appeared over time.
Did you know?
Tyrannosaurus did not exist yet.
Look together
How many legs did it walk on?
An idea to try
Count the legs and point to the arms.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
Dinosaur origins remain under study. Herrerasaurus is a Triassic example from about 230 million years ago, not a claim that the first dinosaurs originated exactly then. Evolution is branching ancestry, not a ladder in which Herrerasaurus turns directly into Tyrannosaurus.
Look together: How many legs did it walk on? Count the legs and point to the arms.
Sources and illustration notes (2)
Simplified reconstruction. Pose, unpreserved tissues and setting are interpreted. Choose your own colours; animals are not to one scale.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Natural History Museum: Where did dinosaurs come from?Early dinosaurs and their older reptile ancestry; no claim that all dinosaurs appeared at once.
- Western Australian Museum: Herrerasaurus ischigualastensisLate Triassic Argentina, approximately 230 million years ago.
Source review: 2026-10-04. Illustrations are simplified for colouring.
