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Ardetosaurus

Say it: ar-DEE-toh-SORE-us

Name means: “burning lizard”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksLate Jurassic

Ardetosaurus was a giant, long-necked dinosaur that lived in what is now Wyoming, USA, about 150 million years ago. It was a diplodocid, meaning it had a super long neck and a whip-like tail. This plant-eater was one of many different sauropods that lived together in the same place.1 3

Lived

155 to 149 million years ago3

Late Jurassic

Fossils found in

Howe-Stephens Quarry, northern Wyoming, USA3 2

Food

Plants1

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

cool stuff

Fun facts

Ardetosaurus was named in 2024, making it a very recently discovered dinosaur.3

Its full name, Ardetosaurus viator, means 'burning lizard traveler'.1

The only known skeleton is partly articulated, meaning many bones were still connected when found.2

Ardetosaurus lived between 150.44 and 149.21 million years ago, during the Kimmeridgian stage of the Jurassic.2

It is the first fully grown sauropod specimen described from the Howe-Stephens Quarry.2

Scientists think the shape of its first chevron bone might help tell male and female sauropods apart.2

AI-made picture of Ardetosaurus — An AI-made picture of how Ardetosaurus 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 Ardetosaurus

?How big was Ardetosaurus?

Scientists have not estimated its exact size, but as a diplodocid sauropod it had a very long neck and whip-like tail, with a small head and columnar legs.1

?What did Ardetosaurus eat?

It was a plant-eater. Its pencil-like teeth at the front of its jaws helped it strip leaves from branches.1

?When did Ardetosaurus live?

It lived about 150 million years ago, during the Kimmeridgian stage of the Late Jurassic, between 150.44 and 149.21 million years ago.1 2

?Why is it called Ardetosaurus?

Its name means burning lizard traveler. Ardeto refers to a fire that damaged its bones, and saurus means lizard, because the fossil traveled from the USA to Europe.1 2

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Ardetosaurus
Named by: van der Linden et al. 20243
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Diplodocidae3
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Diplodocoidea3
Age of the rocks: 155 to 149 million years (Kimmeridgian)3
Rock formations: Morrison3
Countries: USA3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: The fossil was dug up in 1993 at the Howe-Stephens Quarry in Wyoming. It was named Ardetosaurus viator by van der Linden and colleagues in 2024.3 2
Still debated: Scientists are still debating exactly how many different sauropod species lived together in the Morrison Formation, and how Ardetosaurus fits into that group.2

Where the facts come from

Ardetosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
New diplodocine sauropod (palaeo-electronica.org)
Ardetosaurus 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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