Chilesaurus diegosuarezi is a basal theropod from the Tetanurae family. It is an unusual theropod with features usually not seen in one kind of dinosaur: bipedal, short arms with blunt claws, small head, a large gut, tail for balance, and a beak with leaf-eating teeth, making it a rare herbivorous theropod.
Chilesaurus lived in the Late Jurassic forests of what is now Southern Chile. Judging by the number of specimens found in the same area, it is thought that Chilesaurus was the region's dominant herbivore.
The holotype is a relatively complete skeleton that was found in 2004 by Diego Suárez when he was hiking with his family. After the find was reported, expeditions were made out to the discovery site, and multiple specimens were discovered. This led to the identification of fourteen additional paratypes.
"Chilesaurus" refers to the country of Chile, where this dinosaur was discovered, as it is the first new species discovered in the country. "Diegosuarezi" refers to Diego Suárez, who discovered the first Chilesaurus bone.
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