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Dicraeosaurus

Say it: die-KRAY-oh-SORE-us

Name means: “forked lizard”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksLate Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Dicraeosaurus was a long-necked plant-eating dinosaur that lived in Africa during the Late Jurassic. It had a strange backbone with forked spines, which is how it got its name.1 4

Lived

162 to 143 million years ago4

Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Tanzania and Zimbabwe4 1

Food

Plants4 1

Length

20 m1

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

as long as 4 cars parked in a rowas long as 110 bananas end to end

How big was Dicraeosaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Dicraeosaurus had forked spines on its backbone, which is why its name means 'forked lizard'.1

It lived between 161 and 143 million years ago, during the Late Jurassic period.4

This dinosaur was a sauropod, a group of huge, long-necked plant-eaters.1

Fossils of Dicraeosaurus have been found in the Tendaguru Formation in Tanzania.4

Dicraeosaurus was about 20 metres long, as long as two school buses.1

It was named by German paleontologist Werner Janensch in 1914.4

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

?How big was Dicraeosaurus?

Dicraeosaurus was about 14 to 15 metres (46 to 49 feet) long and weighed around 5 to 6 metric tons (5.5 to 6.6 short tons). That is roughly as long as two school buses.2 3

?What did Dicraeosaurus eat?

Dicraeosaurus was a herbivore, meaning it ate plants. It likely browsed on low-level vegetation no more than 3 metres (about 10 feet) off the ground, using its peg-like teeth.2 3

?Why did Dicraeosaurus have forked spines?

The forked spines on its backbone likely provided attachment points for muscles, which helped support its neck. They might have also supported a small sail or fatty ridge, but scientists aren't sure.2 3

?When did Dicraeosaurus live?

Dicraeosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic period, about 155 to 151 million years ago.2 3

?Where was Dicraeosaurus found?

Fossils of Dicraeosaurus were found in the Tendaguru Formation in Tanzania, Africa. The first fossils were discovered by Werner Janensch and Edwin Hennig between 1909 and 1912.2 3

?Was Dicraeosaurus bigger than T. rex?

Dicraeosaurus was about 14 to 15 metres long, which is longer than a T. rex, but it was lighter, weighing around 5 to 6 metric tons. T. rex was heavier and more robust.2

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Dicraeosaurus
Named by: Janensch 19144
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Dicraeosauridae4
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Diplodocoidea4
Age of the rocks: 162 to 143 million years (Oxfordian / Tithonian)4
Rock formations: Tendaguru, Kadzi4
Countries: Tanzania, Zimbabwe4
Fossil records: 19 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Dicraeosaurus was named by Werner Janensch in 1914 based on fossils found in Tanzania.4

Where the facts come from

Dicraeosaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Dicraeosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
DICRAEOSAURUS - DinoChecker dinosaur archive (dinochecker.com)
Dicraeosaurus 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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