Sunday, September 8, 2013

Eoraptor, Pisanosaurus, and Herrerasaurus Dinosaur Cast Skeletons

This first dinosaur skeleton cast is of an Eoraptor lunensis. It was found in Ischigualasto National Park, Argentina, South America. Its name means "dawn plunderer from the Valley of the Moon". The dinosaur dates back about 230 million years ago (Late Triassic). This creature was one of the earliest known dinosaurs. The cast has accession number PVSJ512.

The image above shows another early dinosaur called Herrerasaurus. It existed in the Ladinian age (Late Triassic). The name name means "Herrera's lizard". It was named for the Victorino Herrera who found the fossil outcrops in 1959 (source). The type species was originally described in 1963 by Osvaldo Reig. See wikipedia.org for more information.

The last image shows a Pisanosaurus from the Late Triassic. It is a bird like dinosaur first described by Rodolfo Casamiquela in 1967. See wikipedia.org for more information.


These cast skeletons were part of the Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana exhibit at the Museum of Natural History and Science in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were photographed in August 2013. The dinosaur exhibit was created by the Royal Ontario Museum of Toronto Canada.

The exhibit was supported by Associate Exhibit Sponsor Frisch's restaurant and Promotional Partners Cincinnati Reds baseball, newspaper The Enquirer and TV channel Local 12 WKRO Cincinnati.