njnnj Asilisaurus (meaning "foundation" or "ancestor lizard") is an extinct genus of recently described silesaurid archosaur. It is the oldest avian-line archosaur, dating to about 245 million years ago.
Fossils were uncovered in Tanzania and date back to the Anisian stage of the Middle Triassic period. It was described in 2010 by a team of researchers from the U.S., Germany, and South Africa, in the journal Nature; the type species is A.kongwe. It is the first example of an avian-line radiation during the Anisian; with the diversification of archosaurs during this time previously only documented from crocodylian-line archosaurs. It is the first non-dinosaurian dinosauriform recovered from Africa.
Asilisaurus measured from 3-10 feet long and 2-3 feet high at the hip, weighed 20-70 pounds.