Dino card No. 0901 of 2,027

Janenschia

Say it: jah-NEN-shee-ah

Name means: “named after Werner Janensch, a German paleontologist who studied fossils from Tanzania”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksLate Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Janenschia was a huge, long-necked plant-eater that lived in what is now Tanzania, Africa, about 150 million years ago. It was one of the biggest animals on land during the Late Jurassic period.1

Lived

149 to 143 million years ago5

Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Tendaguru Formation, Lindi Region, Tanzania1

Food

Plants5

Length

15 to 20 m1

estimated, based on related sauropods

Weight

10 tonnes to 20 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 3 elephants

as long as 4 cars parked in a rowas long as 110 bananas end to endas heavy as 13 carsas heavy as 4000 watermelons

How big was Janenschia compared to YOU?

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

cool stuff

Fun facts

Janenschia was first thought to be a different dinosaur called Gigantosaurus, but later scientists gave it its own name in 1991.1

Its fossils were discovered at a famous fossil site called Tendaguru Hill in Tanzania, where many other giant dinosaurs were also found.1

Janenschia is one of the oldest known members of a group called Titanosauria, which includes some of the heaviest dinosaurs ever.1

Some bones that were once thought to belong to Janenschia were later identified as a new dinosaur called Wamweracaudia.1 2

Janenschia walked on four thick, pillar-like legs and had a very long tail to balance its long neck.1

Scientists now think Janenschia was not a true titanosaur, but a close relative that lived earlier in the Jurassic.2

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

?How big was Janenschia?

About 20 metres (66 feet) long, according to the Natural History Museum. Other estimates say up to 24 metres (79 feet) long and weighing about 30,000 kg (33 tons).3 4

?What did Janenschia eat?

It was an herbivore, meaning it ate only plants. It swallowed leaves whole and may have used gastroliths (stomach stones) to help digest the tough plant material.4

?When did Janenschia live?

Janenschia lived during the Late Jurassic Period, about 155 to 145 million years ago.1

?Where was Janenschia found?

Its fossils were discovered in the Tendaguru Formation of Lindi Region, Tanzania, Africa.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Janenschia
Named by: Wild 19915
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Eusauropoda5
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda5
Age of the rocks: 149 to 143 million years (Tithonian)5
Rock formations: Tendaguru5
Countries: Tanzania5
Fossil records: 2 in the Paleobiology Database5
Discovery: The first fossils of Janenschia were found in 1907 by Eberhard Fraas at a site near Tendaguru Hill in Tanzania. It was named Janenschia in 1991 by Rupert Wild to honor paleontologist Werner Janensch.1
Still debated: Scientists are still debating whether Janenschia belongs to the titanosaur group or is a more primitive sauropod.2

Where the facts come from

Janenschia (en.wikipedia.org)
academic.oup.com (academic.oup.com)
Janenschia | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
JANENSCHIA - ZoomDinosaurs.com (enchantedlearning.com)
Janenschia 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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