Herrerasaurus (Herrera's lizard) is a medium-sized South American dinosaur. It is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon.
Description[]
Named after a rancher who discovered its fossils, Herrerasaurus is one of the earliest dinosaurs known to have existed, living around 230 million years ago during the Triassic Period, in what is now North-Western Argentina. It is a bipedal dinosaur that reached 6m (20ft) in length, and the structure of its hind legs suggest it was a fast runner. Although it resembled later theropod dinosaurs such as Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex and was a carnivore itself, Herrerasaurus represented a more basal lineage that may have been more closely related to sauropods such as Apatosaurus.
As a carnivore, Herrerasaurus would have hunted small and medium-sized animals, including rhynchosaurs, primitive synapsids and other dinosaurs. Its long, narrow skull had a flexible joint in its lower jaw, giving it the ability to slide forward to deliver a grasping bite - an ability rarely known in dinosaurs. Studies on its eyes suggest it would have been a daytime hunter. Although large for a dinosaur of its time, Herrerasaurus was not the top predator of its time and would have been prey itself for rauisuchids, a group of large carnivorous archosaurs.
Zoo Tycoon[]
Herrerasaurus is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon and was added as part of the Dinosaur Digs expansion pack. In Freeform mode, it is not adoptable until December 1, making it the last available prehistoric animal for adoption without research. Herrerasaurus is shown in Zoo Tycoon with a bright blue mouth, which is most prominent in the animal's plaque.
Herrerasaurus is a Tropical Rainforest animal, although its habitat also requires grass and fresh water. Its requirements are similar to that of fellow Triassic dinosaur Coelophysis and the two species can be exhibited together, although it should be noted that both species will eat each other's eggs.
 Animal Facts
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| At one time considered the earliest dinosaur to ever live, Herrerasaurus, or "Herrera's lizard" was named for a rancher in Argentina, where the dinosaur's fossils were first discovered. Although rather small in comparison to its later relatives like T. rex, at ten feet in length, Herrerasaurus was plenty big for its time and was a dominant carnivore. It was also the first to evolve many important adaptations which predatory dinos continued to possess for millions of years.
About 10 feet long from snout to tail, Herrerasaurus runs on its hind legs and is fast enough to run down fleeing prey. Its arms are about half the length of its legs, and are each tipped by three sharp claws for grasping and tearing flesh. Herrerasaurus' sharp teeth are curved towards the back of its mouth to prevent prey from wriggling free. It even has a flexible hinged joint in its lower jaw to let it wrap its mouth around the struggling reptiles it eats. Catching its prey with raw speed is not the only way that Herrerasaurus likes to hunt. Its rough textured skin is colored to help it blend into the thick vegetation surrounding lakes and rivers. Using this camouflage, Herrerasaurus can conserve precious energy and ambush prey that walk by. Herrerasaurus is equally at home in near-desert environments. Hunting with a partner or two in rocky areas, Herrerasaurus snaps up small reptiles flushed from hiding by the group. The penultimate predator of its time, Herrerasaurus was ready and equipped to eat almost any of its contemporaries. Your zoo staff should not have a hard time finding things to feed this least-picky of predators. |
Gallery[]
