Dino card No. 0184 of 2,027

Astrophocaudia

Say it: AS-tro-foh-KAW-dee-uh

Name means: “non-twisting tail or star tail”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksEarly Cretaceous

Astrophocaudia was a huge, long-necked plant-eater that walked on four legs. It lived in what is now Texas, USA, during the Early Cretaceous Period, about 112 to 106 million years ago.1

Lived

113 to 110 million years ago3

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Paluxy Formation, Texas, USA1 3

Food

Plants3 1

Length

10.9 to 18.3 m1

estimates vary; one scientist estimated 10.9 m but another estimated 18.3 m

Weight

2.85 tonnes to 20 tonnes1

Height

2.55 m2

shoulder height

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?

shoulder height

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 3 elephants

as long as 4 cars parked in a rowas long as 100 bananas end to endas heavy as 13 carsas heavy as 4000 watermelonsabout as tall as a door

How big was Astrophocaudia compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

The name Astrophocaudia has a double meaning: 'non-twisting tail' because the tail bones were tightly connected, and 'star tail' because the tail bones look like a three-pointed star from behind.1

Scientists are not sure how big Astrophocaudia was. One study said it was about 10.9 metres (36 feet) long and weighed 2.85 tonnes (6,300 pounds), but another said 18.3 metres (60 feet) long and 20 tonnes (44,000 pounds).1

Most of the bones from one single Astrophocaudia were found together, including 24 tail bones, parts of the neck and back, ribs, a shoulder blade, and a hip bone.1

Astrophocaudia's fossils were first discovered in the 1960s by paleontologist Robert Slaughter, but they were not fully studied until the 2010s.1

The species name slaughteri honors Robert Slaughter, who dug up the bones.1

Astrophocaudia is a somphospondylan sauropod, meaning it was more closely related to titanosaurs than to brachiosaurs.1 3

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

?How big was Astrophocaudia?

Scientists are not sure. One study estimated it at 10.9 metres (36 feet) long and 2.85 tonnes (6,300 pounds), while another estimated 18.3 metres (60 feet) long and 20 tonnes (44,000 pounds).1

?What did Astrophocaudia eat?

It was a herbivore, meaning it ate plants.3

?When did Astrophocaudia live?

It lived during the Early Cretaceous Period, about 112 to 106 million years ago.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Astrophocaudia
Named by: D'Emic 20133
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Somphospondyli3
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Macronaria3
Age of the rocks: 113 to 110 million years (Albian)3
Rock formations: Paluxy3
Countries: USA3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Astrophocaudia was named in 2012 (published 2013) by Michael D. D'Emic based on fossils found in the 1960s by Robert Slaughter in the Paluxy Formation of Texas.1 3
Still debated: Scientists are not sure exactly how large Astrophocaudia grew because different estimates give very different sizes.1

Where the facts come from

Astrophocaudia (en.wikipedia.org)
Astrophocaudia (ru.wikipedia.org)
Astrophocaudia 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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