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Antetonitrus

Say it: AN-tee-toe-NYE-truss

Name means: “before thunder”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksEarly Jurassic

Antetonitrus was an early, long-necked plant-eater that lived in what is now South Africa. It walked on all fours and was one of the first giant sauropods, but it could still grab things with its hands.1

Lived

201 to 193 million years ago6

Early Jurassic

Fossils found in

Free State, South Africa1 2

Food

Plants1 2

Length

8 to 10 m1

the holotype may not have been fully grown

Weight

5.6 tonnes1

Height

1.5 to 2 m1

at the hips

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

at the hips

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 4 cars

as long as 2 cars parked in a rowas long as 56 bananas end to endabout as heavy as an elephantas heavy as 1100 watermelonsabout as tall as a door

How big was Antetonitrus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Antetonitrus lived about 201 to 193 million years ago, during the Early Jurassic.2

Its name means 'before thunder' because it lived before the famous sauropod Brontosaurus, whose name means 'thunder lizard'.1

Unlike later sauropods, Antetonitrus had a flexible thumb that could grasp, not just support weight.1

Its fossils were first found in 1981 and were originally thought to belong to another dinosaur called Euskelosaurus.1

Antetonitrus was about 8 to 10 metres long and weighed as much as a large elephant.1

Its thigh bone was slightly S-shaped when viewed from the side, unlike the straight thigh bones of later sauropods.1

Antetonitrus is one of the oldest known sauropods, tied with other early sauropods from the same formation in South Africa.1

AI-made picture of Antetonitrus — An AI-made picture of how Antetonitrus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Antetonitrus

?How big was Antetonitrus?

Antetonitrus was about 8 to 10 metres (26 to 33 feet) long, stood 1.5 to 2 metres (5 to 6.5 feet) tall at the hip, and weighed around 5.6 metric tons (6.2 short tons). It may not have been fully grown yet.3 4

?Could Antetonitrus grab things with its hands?

Yes. Unlike later sauropods, Antetonitrus had a flexible thumb that could grasp, not just support weight. Its wrist bones were not locked into a permanent weight-supporting position.3 5

?Was Antetonitrus a dinosaur?

Yes, Antetonitrus was a dinosaur. It was a basal sauropod, a type of long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur that walked on all fours.3 6

?When did Antetonitrus live?

Antetonitrus lived during the Early Jurassic, about 201 to 193 million years ago. It is one of the oldest known sauropods, tied with other early sauropods from the same formation in South Africa.3 4

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Antetonitrus
Named by: Yates and Kitching 20036
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Lessemsauridae6
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda6
Age of the rocks: 201 to 193 million years (Hettangian / Sinemurian)6
Rock formations: Elliot6
Countries: South Africa6
Fossil records: 2 in the Paleobiology Database6
Discovery: Antetonitrus was named in 2003 by Adam Yates and James Kitching. The fossils were discovered by Kitching in 1981 in the Free State of South Africa and were stored as Euskelosaurus until Yates recognized them as a new dinosaur.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if Antetonitrus was a true sauropod or a very close relative, because it had both primitive and advanced features.1

Where the facts come from

Antetonitrus (en.wikipedia.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Antetonitrus (en.wikipedia.org)
A Giant Dinosaur from the Earliest Jurassic of South Africa and the Transition to Quadrupedality in Early Sauropodomorphs: Current Biology (cell.com)
The earliest known sauropod dinosaur and the first steps towards sauropod locomotion (royalsocietypublishing.org)
Antetonitrus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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