Heterodontosaurus

dinosaur · teeth · early jurassic

Three kinds of teeth. Heterodontosaurus had unusual teeth that were different from each other, which is why its name means 'different toothed lizard.' Most dinosaurs had all the same shaped teeth, but this little dinosaur had varied teeth for different jobs.

Chicken-sized dinosaur. This wasn't a huge, scary T-rex. Heterodontosaurus was small and light, probably only about as big as a large chicken, which would have made it quick and nimble.

South African discovery. The first Heterodontosaurus skull was found in South Africa in 1962, and scientists later discovered an almost complete skeleton in 1966, giving us great clues about how this dinosaur looked.

Very ancient reptile. Heterodontosaurus lived during the Early Jurassic period, roughly 200 to 190 million years ago, long before the famous T-rex dinosaurs roamed the Earth.