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Bajadasaurus

Say it: bah-hah-dah-SORE-us
Name means: “downhill lizard, from the Spanish word bajada (downhill) and the Greek sauros (lizard)”1
Ate: PlantsLong-necksEarly Cretaceous

Bajadasaurus was a small, long-necked dinosaur that lived in what is now Patagonia, Argentina. It had a row of super long, forward-pointing spines on its neck that probably helped protect it from hungry predators. This plant-eater was about the size of an Asian elephant, small for a sauropod.21

Lived
139 to 133 million years ago4
Early Cretaceous
Fossils found in
Bajada Colorada locality, 40 km south of Picún Leufú, Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina12
Food
Plants23
Length
10 to 12 m3
estimate based on related dicraeosaurids
Weight
4 tonnes to 6 tonnes2
Height
2.5 to 3 m2
at the hips
Top speed
about 19 km/h (12 mph)
Running, estimate

When did it live?

Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

Bajadasaurus about 12 m longA car about 4.5 mAn elephant, the biggest land animal today about 6.5 mA house about 10 mA swimming pool about 25 m

How tall was it?

A dogabout 0.6 m🚪A doorabout 2 mBajadasaurusabout 3 m tallA house with 2 floorsabout 7 m

at the hips

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 4 cars
as long as 2.5 cars parked in a rowas long as 67 bananas end to endabout as heavy as an elephantas heavy as 1200 watermelonsas tall as 1.5 doors stacked up

How big was Bajadasaurus compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast was it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Bajadasaurus had a pair of extremely long, forward-curving spines on each neck vertebra, forming a kind of spiky fence.1

2

Its skull is one of the most complete ever found for a dicraeosaurid, a group of sauropods with short necks.1

3

The dinosaur had about 48 pencil-shaped teeth, all at the front of its jaws.2

4

Its eye openings were visible from above, which may have helped it look forward while eating low plants.2

5

Bajadasaurus lived around 139 to 133 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous period.3

6

The only known specimen was found in 2010 by paleontologist Pablo Gallina, preserved as a single block of rock.2

7

It shared its home with other sauropods like Leinkupal and Ninjatitan, as well as meat-eating theropods.2

AI-madeAI-made picture of Bajadasaurus
An AI-made picture of how Bajadasaurus 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 Bajadasaurus

?How big was Bajadasaurus?

It was about 9 to 10 metres long, which is small for a sauropod. It was roughly the size of a modern Asian elephant.2

?What did Bajadasaurus eat?

It was a plant-eater, or herbivore. It had about 48 pencil-shaped teeth at the front of its jaws for stripping leaves.2

?Why did Bajadasaurus have long spines?

Scientists think the long, forward-pointing spines on its neck were used for passive defense against predators, like a spiky fence. They might also have been for display.12

?When did Bajadasaurus live?

It lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 145 to 132.9 million years ago.2

?Where was Bajadasaurus found?

Its fossils were found in Patagonia, Argentina, at a place called Bajada Colorada. The only specimen was discovered in 2010.2

?Is Bajadasaurus a dinosaur?

Yes, it is a dinosaur. It is a sauropod dinosaur from the group Dicraeosauridae.2

Ask Rex about Bajadasaurus

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Myth buster

Myth: Some people think the long spines on Bajadasaurus's neck were used as a sail for cooling down.

Truth: Scientists now believe the spines were a passive defense, like a spiky fence, to protect against predators.1

For dino experts

Scientific name
Bajadasaurus
Named by
Gallina et al. 20194
Group
Long-necks
Family / clade
Dicraeosauridae4
Classification
Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Diplodocoidea4
Age of the rocks
139 to 133 million years (Berriasian / Valanginian)4
Rock formations
Bajada Colorada4
Countries
Argentina4
Fossil records
1 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery
Bajadasaurus was named in 2019 by paleontologist Pablo Gallina and his team. The single fossil was found in 2010 at the Bajada Colorada site in Argentina.21
Still debated
Scientists are still debating whether the long neck spines were used mainly for defense, display, or something else.1

Where the facts come from

  1. A new long-spined dinosaur from Patagonia sheds light on sauropod defense system | Scientific Reports (nature.com)
  2. Bajadasaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
  3. PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
  4. Bajadasaurus 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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