Herrerasauridae

Herrerasaurids are among the oldest known dinosaurs, appearing in the fossil record 231.4 million years ago (Late Triassic). They became extinct by the end of the Triassic period. Herrerasaurids were small-sized (not more than 4 metres (13 ft) long) carnivorous theropods or basal saurischians. The best known representatives of this group are from South America (Brazil, Argentina), where they were first discovered in the 1960s. A nearly complete skeleton of Herrerasaurus ischigulastensis was discovered in the Ischigualasto Formation in San Juan, Argentina, in 1988. Less complete herrerasaurids have been found in North America, and they may have inhabited other continents as well.