Scientists find oldest dinosaur—or closest relative yet [1]

Phys.org - 12/04/12

This is the humerus, or upper arm bone, of Nyasasaurus parringtoni next to a cross section of the bone. The many colors indicate that the bone fibers are disorganized, much like those of early dinosaurs. (c) Natural History Museum

Researchers have discovered what may be the earliest dinosaur, a creature the size of a Labrador retriever, but with a five foot-long tail, that walked the Earth about 10 million years before more familiar dinosaurs like the small, swift-footed Eoraptor and Herrerasaurus.

The findings mean that the dinosaur lineage appeared 10 million to 15 million years earlier than fossils previously showed, originating in the Middle Triassic rather than in the Late Triassic period.

"If the newly named Nyasasaurus parringtoni is not the earliest dinosaur, then it is the closest relative found so far," according to Sterling Nesbitt, a University of Washington postdoctoral researcher in biology and lead author of a paper published online Dec. 5 in Biology Letters, a journal of the United Kingdom's Royal Society.

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