Asilisaurus: Research Database
Silesauridae (Dinosauriformes) · Middle Triassic (~245 MYA) · Africa — Tanzania (Manda Beds)
Research Note: Asilisaurus was a silesaurid from the Middle Triassic of Tanzania — one of the oldest known dinosaur relatives and an important taxon for understanding the evolutionary origin of dinosaurs.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Barrett & Nesbitt 2014: Asilisaurus and new data on silesaurid diversity from the Triassic of Tanzania
Barrett & Nesbitt 2014 provide comprehensive data on Asilisaurus from the Middle Triassic of Tanzania, establishing it as a silesaurid and documenting dinosauriform evolution in the Triassic of Africa
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Confirmed | A | 2014 | Fossil | Barrett & Nesbitt, Gondwana Research | Diversity |
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Kammerer & Nesbitt 2011: Asilisaurus and additional data on silesaurid taxonomy
Kammerer & Nesbitt 2011 provide additional data on Asilisaurus and silesaurid taxonomy, further contextualising its significance within Dinosauriformes
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Confirmed | B | 2011 | Fossil | Kammerer & Nesbitt, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica | Taxonomy |
Active Debate: The Origin of Dinosaurs
Whether Asilisaurus is directly ancestral to dinosaurs is debated. The evolution of dinosauriforms in the Triassic — and the rise of dinosaurs — is key to understanding the origin of dinosaurs.
What We Still Do Not Know About Asilisaurus
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Diet: Likely omnivorous.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
- Dinosaur relationships: Partially understood.
In Depth
Asilisaurus were a kind of reptile that was very close to the evolutionary line that led to the development of the dinosaurs and pterosaurs. Although established upon very fragmentary fossil remains, the genus indicates a possible earlier development of dinosaurs back to the mid Triassic rather than the late Triassic. This also helps to establish the point of origin of dinosaurs as around South America and Africa during the Triassic. Early dinosaurs such as Eoraptor and Herrerasaurus in South America a few million years after Asilisaurus lived in Africa, but given that South America and Africa were joined together at this time, there is no telling what will be found in the Triassic fossil Formations of Africa over the coming years.
Further Reading
- Ecologically distinct dinosaurian sister group shows early diversification of Ornithodira - S. J, Nesbitt, C. A. Sidor, R. B. Irmis, K. D. Angielczyk, R. M. H. Smith & L. M. A. Tsuji - 2010. – The femoral ontogeny and long bone histology of the Middle Triassic (?late Anisian) dinosauriform Asilisaurus kongwe and implications for the growth of early dinosaurs. – Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 36 (3): e1111224. – C. T. Griffin & Sterling J. Nesbitt – 2016. – The Anatomy of Asilisaurus kongwe, a Dinosauriform from the Lifua Member of the Manda Beds (~Middle Triassic) of Africa. – The Anatomical Record. 303 (4): 813–873. – Sterling J. Nesbitt, Max C. Langer, Martin D. Ezcurra – 2019.
