Herrerasaurus

Herrerasaurus is a very interesting animal.
It is one of the oldest known dinosaurs, or possibly a close relative of dinosaurs, that lived in the Late Triassic period, about 230 million years ago.
It was a carnivorous animal that hunted other reptiles and small animals with its sharp teeth and claws.
It had a long tail for balance, and strong hind legs for running fast.
It was about 3 meters long and weighed about 180 kilograms

Herrerasaurus is also very important for understanding the evolution of dinosaurs.
It has some features that are similar to the common ancestor of all dinosaurs, such as the shape of its pelvis and skull.
However, it also has some features that are different from other dinosaurs, such as the way its lower jaw could move and its lack of an opposable thumb.
Some scientists think that Herrerasaurus is a basal saurischian dinosaur, which means it belongs to the same group as theropods (like Tyrannosaurus rex) and sauropods (like Brontosaurus).
Other scientists think that Herrerasaurus is not a true dinosaur, but a separate branch of reptiles that evolved before the split between ornithischians (like Triceratops) and saurischians

Herrerasaurus was discovered in Argentina by a rancher named Victorino Herrera in 1958.
He found some bones in the rocks near his farm and showed them to a paleontologist named Osvaldo Reig.
Reig named the animal Herrerasaurus, which means "Herrera’s lizard", in honor of the rancher who found it.
Since then, more fossils of Herrerasaurus have been found in the same area, including a nearly complete skeleton and skull in 1988.

Herrerasaurus was a beast
That lived in ancient times
It had a long and slender tail
And strong and sturdy limbs

It ran on two powerful legs
And used its claws to slash
It hunted smaller prey with ease
And tore them with its teeth

It was one of the first theropods
A branch of dinosaurs
But it lacked some features of its kin
Like overlapping wrists

It lived in South America
In Triassic rocks and soil
Its name means Herrera's lizard
After the man who found its bones