Jurassic
Aardonyx
Aardonyx celestae
The catalogue presents Aardonyx as a herbivore member of Anchisauridae that lived during the Jurassic, between 195 Ma. Its estimated range is 7.0 m in length and 1 t in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Free State, South Africa. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Aardonyx, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Yates et al. (2010).
The PBDB places it in Sauropodiformes, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Anchisauridae.
- PBDB · taxon.parent
- Anchisauridae
In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range runs from the Hettangian to the Sinemurian.
The PBDB catalogues 1 occurrence, with material from the Elliot Formation (1). Provenance: South Africa.
The catalogue records the holotype as BP/1/6798 and the type locality as “Free State, South Africa”.
- BP/1/6798
- Free State, South Africa
The catalogue's reference measurements are 7.0 m in length and 1 t in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 7.0 m
- 1 ton
The record gathers 6 bibliographic references registered in the PBDB, listed below.
Where it lived
Fossil occurrences on today’s map and in the tectonic reconstruction.
Positions reconstructed by PBDB/GPlates, not observed; this is not an exact habitat map.
Artistic 3D reconstruction
There is no approved species-specific 3D model yet. Generic anatomy will not be presented as if it were evidence.
Physical Specifications
- Length
- 7.0 m
- Weight
- 1 t
- Period
- Jurassic
- Time range
- 195 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 2009
- Described by
- Adam Yates
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Saurischia
- Family
- Anchisauridae
- Genus
- Aardonyx
- Species
- A. celestae
Data status
Taxonomic name matched to PBDB and checked on 2026-08-08.
Taxonomic linkage does not automatically validate size, mass, behaviour or appearance.
- Type specimen
- BP/1/6798
- Type locality
- Free State, South Africa