Advertisement.

EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site.
As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages.
Click here to learn more.




ad
(Already a member? Click here.)


More about Supersaurus
AllAboutDinosaurs.com
Supersaurus More Printouts


Click on a region in the picture to color it in with the selected color.
Click on a color swatch in the palette to select a new color.
The currently selected color in the palette is indicated by a black rectangle drawn around it.
When you click, the point that you're clicking on is at the tip of the arrow or the tip of the pointing finger.


Supersaurus was a huge plant-eating dinosaur with a very long neck and a long, whip-like tail. It was among the longest land animals that ever lived. Supersaurus may have travelled in herds, migrating when the local food supply was depleted.

Anatomy: Supersaurus was a long-necked, whip-tailed giant that had a tiny brain. Supersaurus held its neck more or less horizontally (parallel to the ground). This dinosaur was about 138 feet (42 m) long and 54 feet (16.5 m) tall, with a 39 foot (12 m) long neck. Supersaurus may have weighed about 55 tons. The nostrils were at the top of the head. It had peg-like teeth, but only towards the front of the jaws - there were no teeth in the back of the jaws. Its front legs were shorter than its back legs, and all the legs had elephant-like, five-toed feet. One toe on each foot had a thumb claw, probably for protection.

When Supersaurus Lived: Supersaurus lived during the Jurassic period, about 155-145 million years ago. There were many huge dinosaurs during this period.

Diet: Supersaurus was an herbivore (a plant-eater). It ate plants using its peg-like teeth. Its main food was probably conifers, which were the dominant plants when the large sauropods lived. Secondary food sources may have included gingkos, seed ferns, cycads, bennettitaleans, ferns, club mosses, and horsetails. It must have eaten a tremendous amount of plant material each day to sustain itself.

Fossils and Name: The first Supersaurus fossil was found in western Colorado, USA, by paleontologist James A. Jensen in 1972, and was named in 1985. It is only known from an incomplete fossil which includes two shoulder blades 8 feet (2.4 m) long, ribs 10 feet (3 m) long, neck vertebrae 4.5 feet (1.4 m) long, and a pelvis 6 feet (1.8 m ) wide.

Supersaurus means "super lizard;" it was given this name because it is so big.



Enchanted Learning Search

Search the Enchanted Learning website for:



Advertisement.


Advertisement.




Copyright ©2000 EnchantedLearning.com ------ How to cite a web page