Previously dinosaurs were known to be present around 230 million years ago, but Nyasasaurus is somewhere between 240 and 245 million years old. The animals formerly regarded as the nearest relatives to dinosaurs date from this earlier time, so the presence of either a very early dinosaur, or an animal which is the new closest relative to the dinosaurs had been expected. Nyasasaurus therefore fills a gap in the fossil record and drags the origins of the dinosaurs further back in time. We expected to find them at this kind of time, but confirmation is of course always nice.
The first dinosaur. Or not … | Dr Dave Hone | Science | guardian.co.uk
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