Dino card No. 0240 of 2,027

Barapasaurus

Say it: bə-RAH-pə-SOR-əs

Name means: “big-legged lizard”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksEarly Jurassic

Barapasaurus was one of the very first giant long-necked dinosaurs. It lived in India about 190 million years ago and grew as long as a bus! Even though it was an early sauropod, it already had the long neck and big body that later giants like Brachiosaurus would have.1

Lived

200 to 184 million years ago3

Early Jurassic

Fossils found in

Pochampally village, near the border of Telangana and Maharashtra, central India1

Food

Plants1

Length

12 to 14 m1

Weight

7 tonnes1

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 5 cars

as long as 3 cars parked in a rowas long as 78 bananas end to endabout as heavy as an elephantas heavy as 1400 watermelons

How big was Barapasaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Barapasaurus is known from about 300 bones from at least six different individuals, making it one of the most complete early sauropods ever found.1

Its name means 'big-legged lizard' in several Indian languages, because a single thigh bone (femur) was over 1.7 metres (5.6 feet) long.1

No skull has ever been found, only a few teeth. The largest tooth is just 5.8 centimetres (2.3 inches) tall.1

The fossils were discovered in 1958 and dug up in 1960 and 1961, but the dinosaur was not officially named until 1975.1

Barapasaurus lived alongside another early sauropod called Kotasaurus, as well as some of the earliest mammals like Kotatherium.1

Its backbone already had hollow spaces and extra joints that helped support its huge body, a feature later sauropods perfected.1

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

?How big was Barapasaurus?

Barapasaurus was about 12 to 14 metres long and weighed around 7 tonnes. That is about as long as a bus.1 2

?What did Barapasaurus eat?

Barapasaurus was a herbivore, meaning it ate plants. Its spoon-shaped teeth were good for stripping leaves.1 2

?When did Barapasaurus live?

Barapasaurus lived during the Early Jurassic period, about 184 to 200 million years ago. Some scientists think it might have lived a bit later, in the Middle Jurassic.1 2

?Where was Barapasaurus found?

Barapasaurus fossils were found in central India, near the village of Pochampally. The first bones were discovered in 1958.1

?Why is it called Barapasaurus?

Barapasaurus means big legged lizard in several Indian languages. It got that name because its thigh bone was over 1.7 metres long.1

?Did Barapasaurus have a long neck?

Yes, Barapasaurus had a long neck, just like later sauropods. Its neck bones were elongated, which helped it reach high plants.1

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Myth buster

Myth: Barapasaurus had a tiny head like later sauropods such as Brachiosaurus.

Truth: Scientists have not found a skull, only a few teeth, so we do not know what its head looked like.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Barapasaurus
Named by: Jain et al. 19753
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Gravisauria3
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda3
Age of the rocks: 200 to 184 million years (Sinemurian / Pliensbachian)3
Rock formations: Kota3
Countries: India3
Fossil records: 2 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: The first bones were found in 1958 near Pochampally, India. Most fossils were collected in 1960 and 1961, and the dinosaur was named Barapasaurus tagorei in 1975 by paleontologist Sohan Lal Jain and colleagues.1
Still debated: Scientists disagree on whether Barapasaurus was more primitive than the early sauropod Vulcanodon or more advanced. Some place it inside the group Eusauropoda, others outside it.1

Where the facts come from

Barapasaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Barapasaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Barapasaurus 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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