Page 65 - The Dinosaur Book and Other Wonders of the Prehistoric World (DK-Smithsonian)

At just 6 ⁄2 ft (2 m) long,
1
this slender, lightweight
dinosaur was one of the
Anchisaurus
smaller prosauropods.
Saturnalia Riojasaurus

The skin may have Prosauropods
been patterned for
camouflage in the Found in China, this
dappled shade of horse-sized prosauropod
Triassic forests. was a close relative
of Plateosaurus.

Plateosaurus Strong hands could Lufengosaurus

grip branches to pull
them within reach of
the dinosaur’s jaws.

Fossils
of Plateosaurus
have been found
in more than
50 places
in Europe.

Saturnalia

Light and agile, Saturnalia
would have run through the
forest like a large wild turkey.

dinosaurs were the ancestors of the enormous also have been useful for defense. When it
sauropods, so they are known as prosauropods. closed its jaws, its upper teeth overlapped the
They stood on two legs, balanced by their long lower ones like scissor blades to slice through
tails, and used their shorter arms to gather food. leaves. The tough, fibrous plant material was
Plateosaurus had grasping hands with four processed in a big digestive system to extract
fingers and a powerful clawed thumb, which may as much food value as possible. 63

US_062-063_Prosauropods.indd 63 10/04/18 3:33 PM