View source for Eodromaeus

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{{Speciesbox
| image = Eodromaeus murphi.jpg
| image_caption = Restored skeleton
| fossil_range = [[Carnian]]<br />~{{fossilrange|231.4|229}}
| parent_authority = Martinez ''et al.'' [[2011 in paleontology|2011]]
| taxon = Eodromaeus murphi
| authority = Martinez ''et al.'' 2011
}}
'''''Eodromaeus''''' (meaning "dawn runner") is an [[extinct]] [[genus]] of [[basal]] [[theropod]] [[dinosaur]] from the [[Upper Triassic]] of [[Argentina]].<ref name=Eodromaeus>{{Cite journal|author=Martinez, Ricardo N. ''et al'' 2011 A basal dinosaur from the dawn of the dinosaur era in Southwestern Pangaea |title=A Basal Dinosaur from the Dawn of the Dinosaur Era in Southwestern Pangaea |url=http://www.sciencemag.org/content/331/6014/206.abstract |journal=Science |year=2011 |volume=331 |issue=6014 |pages=206–210 |doi=10.1126/science.1198467 |pmid=21233386|hdl=11336/69202 |s2cid=33506648 }}</ref> An almost complete articulated [[skeleton]] (the bones were still mostly connected) was found in 1996.

''Eodromaeus'' has been cited by Paul Sereno as "close to the root of the dinosaurs".<ref>Bowdler, Neil 2011. ''BBC News Science & Environment''. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12175263 "'Dawn runner casts light on birth of the dinosaurs"], ''www.bbc.co.uk'', 13-1-2011.</ref> It is the earliest known definite theropod.

==Description==
''Eodromaeus'' was a relatively small dinosaur, with a total length of about {{convert|1.2|m|ft}} from nose to tail, and a weight of about {{convert|5|kg|lb}}. The trunk was long and slender. It is unknown how fast ''Eodromaeus'' could run: about {{convert|30|km/h|mph}} has been suggested.<ref name="usatoday_Eodromaeus">Weise E, [https://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2011-01-13-dinosaur-discovery_N.htm "New dog-sized dinosaur discovered"], ''www.usatoday.com'', 23-01-2011.</ref> The animal was, like all early dinosaurs, [[bipedal]]. The forelimbs were much shorter than the hindlimbs, ending in hands with five digits. Digits IV and V were very reduced in size.<ref name=Eodromaeus/>

== References ==
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[[Category:Theropods]]