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Isisaurus

Say it: eye-SIS-oh-rus

Name means: “Indian Statistical Institute lizard”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksLate Cretaceous

Isisaurus was a big, long-necked dinosaur that lived in what is now India and Pakistan. It had a short neck and long front legs, which made it look different from other long-necked dinosaurs. It munched on leaves from trees and was one of the most complete dinosaurs found in that part of the world.1

Lived

72 to 66 million years ago3

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

India (Lameta Formation) and Pakistan (Pab Formation)1 3

Food

Plants1

Length

up to 18 m1

estimate

Weight

up to 15 tonnes1

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 100 bananas end to endas heavy as 10 carsas heavy as 2.5 elephantsas heavy as 3000 watermelons

How big was Isisaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Isisaurus had a short, upright neck and long front legs, which was very unusual for a sauropod.1

Its upper arm bone, the humerus, was 148 centimeters (about 4.9 feet) long.1

Scientists found fungus in coprolites (fossil poop) that they think came from Isisaurus. The fungus shows that it ate leaves from trees that were sick with disease.1

Isisaurus is known from many bones, including neck, back, and tail vertebrae, ribs, pelvis, shoulder bones, and a left front leg. No skull or foot bones have been found.1

It lived during the very end of the Cretaceous Period, about 70 to 66 million years ago, alongside meat-eating dinosaurs like Rajasaurus.1 3

The angle between the back of the skull and the neck joint in Isisaurus was 120 degrees, similar to the skulls of Diplodocus and Apatosaurus.1

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

?How big was Isisaurus?

Isisaurus was a medium sized sauropod, with some estimates of its body length up to 18 metres (59 feet) long and weighing 15 metric tons (17 short tons).1

?What did Isisaurus eat?

Isisaurus was herbivorous, eating leaves from trees. Fungus found in its fossilized poop shows it ate leaves from several species of tree.1 2

?When did Isisaurus live?

Isisaurus lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 70 to 66 million years ago.1 2

?Where was Isisaurus found?

Isisaurus fossils have been found in India and Pakistan, in the Lameta Formation of India and the Pab Formation of Pakistan.1

?Why is it called Isisaurus?

Isisaurus is named after the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), because its fossils were studied there. The name combines 'ISI' with the Greek word 'saurus' meaning 'lizard'.1 2

?Was Isisaurus bigger than T. rex?

Isisaurus was about 18 metres (59 feet) long, which is longer than a T. rex.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Isisaurus
Named by: Wilson and Upchurch 20033
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Saltasauroidea3
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Titanosauria > Macronaria3
Age of the rocks: 72 to 66 million years (Maastrichtian)3
Rock formations: Lameta, Vitakri3
Countries: India, Pakistan3
Fossil records: 7 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: The fossils were first named Titanosaurus colberti by Sohan Lal Jain and Saswati Bandyopadhyay in 1997. In 2003, Wilson and Upchurch gave them their own genus, Isisaurus, named after the Indian Statistical Institute.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure exactly where Isisaurus fits in the titanosaur family tree. Some studies place it close to Rapetosaurus, others near Saltasauridae, and some with Tapuiasaurus.1

Where the facts come from

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