Amazonsaurus Facts
Pronunciation: am-ah-ZON-sore-us
Name meaning: Amazon Lizard
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Height | 3.5m |
| Length | 12m |
| Weight | 5 tonnes |
| Environment | Land |
| Era | Cretaceous |
| Period | Early Cretaceous |
| Type | Sauropod |
| Location | South America |
Amazonsaurus was a moderately-sized sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous Period, approximately 119.57 million years ago, in what is now South America. This long-necked herbivore belonged to the diplodocoid group of sauropods, which were characterised by their extremely long necks and whip-like tails.
At around 12 metres in length and weighing approximately 5 tonnes, Amazonsaurus was considerably smaller than its more famous relatives like Diplodocus and Apatosaurus. Despite this, it retained the classic sauropod body plan: a long neck for reaching high vegetation, a barrel-shaped body supported by four pillar-like legs, and a lengthy tail that may have been used for defence or communication.
As a herbivore, Amazonsaurus would have fed on ferns, conifers, and other plants available in its Early Cretaceous environment. Its long neck allowed it to browse vegetation at various heights, from ground level up to the forest canopy. The dinosaur's teeth were likely adapted for stripping leaves rather than chewing, as sauropods typically swallowed plant material whole and relied on gastroliths (stomach stones) to aid digestion.
Amazonsaurus represents an important piece of the puzzle in understanding sauropod evolution and distribution across South America during the Cretaceous Period, when the supercontinent Gondwana was beginning to break apart.
What made Amazonsaurus distinctive?
Amazonsaurus was distinguished by its relatively modest size compared to other diplodocoid sauropods, measuring only 12 metres long rather than the enormous lengths achieved by later species. It possessed the characteristic diplodocoid features of an extremely long neck, whip-like tail, and relatively small head in proportion to its body.
Behaviour
Amazonsaurus likely lived in herds for protection against predators, as evidenced by trackway fossils of other sauropods from the same period. It would have spent most of its time foraging for vegetation, using its long neck to access food sources unavailable to shorter herbivorous dinosaurs.
Discovery
Amazonsaurus was first described by Carvalho, Avilla and Salgado in 2003. The original fossils were discovered at Itapecuru Formation, Brazil.
Amazonsaurus FAQ
What did Amazonsaurus eat?
Amazonsaurus was a herbivore that fed on the plants available in
Early Cretaceous South America, including ferns, conifers, and early flowering plants. It used its long neck to browse vegetation at different heights, from ground level up to the tree canopy, and likely swallowed plant material whole without chewing.
How big was Amazonsaurus?
Amazonsaurus reached approximately 12 metres in length, stood about 3.5 metres tall at the hip, and weighed around 5 tonnes. This made it relatively modest in size compared to other sauropods, being similar in weight to a modern African elephant.
When did Amazonsaurus live?
Amazonsaurus lived during the
Early Cretaceous Period, approximately 119.57 million years ago. This was much later than most other diplodocoid sauropods, which typically lived during the
Late Jurassic Period.
Where was Amazonsaurus found?
Amazonsaurus fossils were discovered in the Itapecuru Formation of Brazil in South America. The remains were found in marine deposits, suggesting the dinosaur's body was washed out to sea after death.
How do you pronounce Amazonsaurus?
Amazonsaurus is pronounced 'am-ah-ZON-sore-us', with emphasis on the 'ZON' syllable. The name flows quite naturally when you think of it as 'Amazon-saurus'.
What does Amazonsaurus mean?
Amazonsaurus means 'Amazon Lizard', named after the Amazon region of South America where it was discovered. This makes it one of the few dinosaurs to be named after the famous Amazon rainforest region.
How fast could Amazonsaurus run?
The top speed of Amazonsaurus is unknown, but like other large sauropods, it was probably quite slow-moving due to its massive size and four-legged stance. It likely moved at a steady walking pace rather than running.
What type of dinosaur was Amazonsaurus?
Amazonsaurus was a sauropod dinosaur, specifically belonging to the diplodocoid group within the family Rebbachisauridae. Sauropods were the long-necked, plant-eating giants of the dinosaur world.
Was Amazonsaurus related to birds?
Like all dinosaurs, Amazonsaurus was distantly related to modern birds, but sauropods like Amazonsaurus were not closely related to the theropod dinosaurs that directly evolved into birds. The relationship is more like distant cousins within the dinosaur family tree.
How many Amazonsaurus fossils have been found?
Amazonsaurus is known from limited fossil material discovered in Brazil. The exact number of specimens is relatively small, which is typical for many South American dinosaur species from this time period.
