SAUROPOSEIDON
Sauroposeidon proteles
Meaning: "Earthquake God Lizard"
📊 STATS
Size comparison:
As long as three school buses parked end-to-end!
📖 ABOUT SAUROPOSEIDON
Meet Sauroposeidon, the 'Earthquake God Lizard'! This giant was so tall, it could probably peek into a five-story building!
Imagine a dinosaur so big, it could shake the ground with every step! That's Sauroposeidon, an enormous herbivore that lived during the Early Cretaceous period. Its name means 'Earthquake God Lizard,' and for good reason! Discovered in Oklahoma, USA, in 1994, Sauroposeidon belonged to the Brachiosauridae family, a group of sauropods known for their long necks and giraffe-like front legs.
Sauroposeidon spent its days munching on plants, using its long neck to reach the tallest trees. Its massive size helped it avoid predators – who would want to mess with something that big?! Living in what is now Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming, Sauroposeidon roamed a land that was very different from today. Scientists believe it could have grown between 27 to 34 meters long and reached a staggering height of 18 meters! That's taller than almost any tree you can find today. While we don't know exactly how strong its bite was, its size alone made it a truly impressive dinosaur!
🔬 CLASSIFICATION
- Group
- Sauropoda
- Family
- Brachiosauridae
- Period
- Early Cretaceous (145-100 Ma)
- Era
- 112.0 - 110.0 million years ago
🗺️ DISCOVERY
- Year
- 1994
- Discovered by
- Mathew Wedel
- Location
- Oklahoma, USA
- Fossils found in
- USA (Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming)
🎨 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATION
Artistic reconstruction of Sauroposeidon based on fossil evidence
🗺️ WHERE FOSSILS WERE FOUND
USA (Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming)
🤓 FUN FACTS
- ✨ Sauroposeidon's neck bones were so long, they were initially mistaken for petrified tree trunks!
- ✨ This dinosaur was named after Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea and earthquakes!
- ✨ Sauroposeidon lived alongside other dinosaurs, including some fearsome predators, but its size kept it safe!
- ✨ It took scientists a long time to figure out that the 'tree trunks' were actually neck bones!
- ✨ Sauroposeidon's heart was probably HUGE to pump blood all the way up to its head!
💡 DID YOU KNOW?
Get this: Sauroposeidon's neck was so long, it had special air sacs that helped it breathe more efficiently! These sacs were connected to its lungs and helped to lighten the weight of its gigantic neck.
