Dino card No. 0222 of 2,027

Bagualia

Say it: ba-GWAH-lee-ah

Name means: “wild horse”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksEarly Jurassic

Bagualia was an early long-necked dinosaur that lived about 180 million years ago. It is one of the oldest known true sauropods, the group that later included giants like Brachiosaurus. Bagualia had a deep skull and big spoon-shaped teeth for eating tough plants.2 1

Lived

183 to 180 million years ago6

Early Jurassic

Fossils found in

Chubut Province, Argentina1 3

Food

Plants2 3

Length

12 m4

Weight

10 tonnes4

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 7 cars

as long as 2.5 cars parked in a rowas long as 67 bananas end to endas heavy as 1.5 elephantsas heavy as 2000 watermelons

How big was Bagualia compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Bagualia is the oldest known eusauropod, meaning it is one of the very first true sauropods.1 2

Its name means 'wild horse' in Spanish, because it was found at a place called Bagual Canyon.1 2

Bagualia lived during a time of major climate change, when a huge volcanic event warmed the Earth and many other plant-eating dinosaurs died out.2

The holotype specimen includes the back half of a skull and the first seven neck bones, all still connected together.2

Scientists found remains of at least three Bagualia individuals at the same site, all about the same size.2

Bagualia had a short, deep snout and large nostrils that were set far back on its skull, like later sauropods.2

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

?How big was Bagualia?

Scientists estimate Bagualia weighed over 10 tonnes, making it one of the first truly giant sauropods. Its exact length is not known, but it had a long neck and a large body.5

?What did Bagualia eat?

Bagualia ate tough plants like conifers. Its spoon-shaped teeth had very thick enamel, about seven times thicker than other plant-eaters, to help shear leaves.1

?When did Bagualia live?

Bagualia lived about 179 million years ago, during the Early Jurassic period. That makes it one of the oldest known true sauropods.1 5

?Where was Bagualia found?

Bagualia fossils were found in Bagual Canyon in Chubut, Argentina. The remains were discovered in 2007 and 2009 by scientists from the Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Bagualia
Named by: Pol et al. 20206
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Eusauropoda6
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda6
Age of the rocks: 183 to 180 million years (Toarcian)6
Rock formations: Cañadón Asfalto6
Countries: Argentina6
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database6
Discovery: Bagualia was named in 2020 by Diego Pol and colleagues. The fossils were found in the Cañadón Asfalto Formation in Chubut, Argentina, at a site called Bagual Canyon.1 2
Still debated: Scientists are still debating exactly how Bagualia is related to other early sauropods and how quickly the group evolved after the Toarcian warming event.2

Where the facts come from

Bagualia (en.wikipedia.org)
Extinction of herbivorous dinosaurs linked to Early Jurassic global warming event (royalsocietypublishing.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Nuevos hallazgos sobre Bagualia alba, un dinosaurio saurópodo qu (iipg.conicet.gov.ar)
Axial skeleton of Bagualia (palaeo-electronica.org)
Bagualia in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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