Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis

Herrerasaurus prowled the riparian floodplains of Late Triassic western Gondwana as one of Earth's earliest large predatory dinosaurs. Its bipedal stance, grasping five-fingered hands, and specialized sliding joint in the lower jaw enabled it to tackle armored synapsids and reptiles. Long slender hindlimbs indicate it relied on bursts of speed to ambush terrestrial prey before competing rauisuchian predators arrived.