Plateosauridae

The Plateosaurids or Prosauropods were a group of early herbivorous dinosaurs that lived during the later Triassic and early Jurassic periods.

Plateosaurids Temporal range: Late Triassic to Early Jurassic 225–190 mya
Mounted skeletons of Plateosaurus engelhardti from the Trossingen Formation of southern Germany, mounted in the Institute for Geosciences Tübingen
Scientific classification
Unrecognized taxon (fix):	Plateosauridae
Type species
Plateosaurus engelhardti von Meyer, 1837
Genera
†Euskelosaurus †Jaklapallisaurus †Plateosauravus †Plateosaurus †Ruehleia †Unaysaurus †Yimenosaurus
Synonyms
Sellosauridae Huene, 1908 Prosauropoda Huene, 1920

They were the largest herbivores in their environment, and quickly reached (6 to 10 meters long). All prosauropods had a long neck and small head, forelimbs shorter than the hindlimbs, and a very large thumb claw for defense. They were originally thought to be the ancestors of the sauropods, but are now considered by some as a parallel lineage.

Taxonomy

• Infraorder Prosauropoda
  • ?Yimenosaurus
  • Meroktenos
  • ?Mussaurus
  • Family Riojasauridae
    • Eucnemesaurus
    • Riojasaurus
    • Family Plateosauridae
      • Plateosaurus
      • Sellosaurus
      • ?Unaysaurus
      • Family Massospondylidae
        • ?Adeopapposaurus
        • Coloradisaurus
        • Lufengosaurus
        • Massospondylus
        • Yunnanosaurus
        • Jingshanosaurus