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Dinosaur genus

Thecodontosaurus

Riley and Stutchbury 1836

Thecodontosaurus is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 247–192.9 million years old, in 6 countries, most often the United Kingdom and Germany.

Also calledja テコドントサウルスzh 槽齒龍
mediummedium: Only Wikidata gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Confidence labels
How sure are we?2 high8 medium8 lowHow we rate confidence

Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.

At a glance

Data as of 12 October 2026
247–192.9 Ma
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
252 million years ago20114366

The last non-bird dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago. That's as far from us as the end of this bar.

Named by
Riley and Stutchbury 1836
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Described in
H. Riley, S. Stutchbury (1836). A description of various fossil remains of three distinct saurian animals discovered in the autumn of 1834, in the Magnesian Conglomerate on Durdham Down, near Bristol. Proceedings of the Geological Society of London 2: 397–399.
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority (Riley and Stutchbury 1836).
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.

Lived
247–192.9 million years ago
highhigh: PBDB and NHM agree.
Omnisaura calculation247–192.9 million years ago, from its dated fossil records
mediummedium: Omnisaura's calculation from 10 confirmed PBDB records.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Fossils found in
United Kingdom
highhigh: NHM and PBDB both record it.
France
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Germany
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Lesotho
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
United States
disputedlow: NHM records it here but PBDB has no record in this country; awaiting an editor.
Zimbabwe
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
mixedmixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).

Rock formations
Dolomitic Conglomerate
disputedlow: Only NHM gives this name and it matches no PBDB formation; awaiting an editor.
Elliot Formation
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Forest Sandstone
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Laramie Formation
disputedlow: Only NHM gives this name and it matches no PBDB formation; awaiting an editor.
Magnesian Conglomerate
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.

Parent group
Sauropodomorpha
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Order
Saurischia
mediummedium: Only NHM gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Gap filled from NHM.

Known from
Bones
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).

Sources: Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0), Natural History Museum Data Portal (CC0 1.0), Wikidata (CC0 1.0)Confidence levels and gaps are Omnisaura's own assessment.

Gaps are answers

What isn't known yet

  • Type species: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Family: no source we use gives it yet.
  • What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Held back: 4 fossil records left out: identified only tentatively (for example "cf." or "?").
  • Resting on one source: 4 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): authority (PBDB); parent group (PBDB); order (NHM); common names (Wikidata).

Size, diet and behaviour aren't covered yet. Omnisaura leaves them out rather than guess.

Where sources disagree

3 open

Formations

  • NonePBDB
  • Dolomitic ConglomerateNHM

One source names a formation the other does not. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.

Formations

  • NonePBDB
  • Laramie FormationNHM

One source names a formation the other does not. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.

Countries

  • DE, FR, GB, LS, ZWPBDB
  • United StatesNHM

One source records a country the other does not. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.

Did it meet…?

?

No. Thecodontosaurus had gone at least 109.3 million years before Tyrannosaurus appears in the fossil record, a longer gap than the 66 million years between Tyrannosaurus and today.

Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.

Lived alongside

Genera found in the same rock formations, from rocks of the same age.

MassospondylusLesothosaurusAnomoepusGrallatorMegapnosaurusSyntarsusAntetonitrusHeterodontosaurusIgnavusaurusLycorhinusTrisauropodiscusAardonyxAbrictosaurusArcusaurusAsylosaurusDracovenatorand 4 more

Same parent group

Other genera in Sauropodomorpha with a full profile.

AhvaytumArcusaurusAsylosaurusBuriolestesEfraasiaEoraptorEosauropusMbiresaurus

Credits

Where this page comes from

  • Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
  • Natural History Museum Data PortalCC0 1.0 · catalogued specimens
  • WikidataCC0 1.0 · names and identifiers
  • OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
  • PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
  • Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines

Pictures linked from this page are credited beside each one, with their own licences; the full list is in the JSON download.