Jobaria
Jobaria was a huge, long-necked plant eater that stomped through the Sahara Desert millions of years ago. It was one of the most complete sauropod skeletons ever found, so scientists know a lot about it!1
When did it live?
How big was it?
How long was it?
How tall was it?
height at hip
How heavy was it?
How big was Jobaria compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
Fun facts
Jobaria is one of the most complete sauropods ever found, with over 95% of its skeleton preserved.1
Its backbone and tail were simpler than those of later sauropods like Diplodocus, which had complex vertebrae and a whiplash tail.1
Scientists think Jobaria could rear up on its hind legs, like elephants can, because its weight was supported more by its back legs.1
Jobaria lived during the Middle Jurassic, about 167 to 161 million years ago, though some sources say Early Cretaceous.12
The name Jobaria comes from a mythical giant beast called Jobar, whose bones some Tuareg people thought the fossils were.1
Jobaria was discovered in 1997 during a four-month expedition led by paleontologist Paul Sereno.1
Most asked questions about Jobaria
?How big was Jobaria?
About 18.2 metres (60 feet) long and weighing around 22.4 tonnes (24.7 short tons), though some scientists give a smaller estimate of 16 metres (52 feet) and 16 tonnes (18 short tons).1
?What did Jobaria eat?
It was a plant eater, or herbivore, chomping on leaves and other vegetation.2
?Could Jobaria rear up on its hind legs?
Yes, scientists think it could, like elephants do, because its weight was supported more by its back legs.1
?When did Jobaria live?
It lived during the Middle Jurassic Period, about 167 to 161 million years ago, though some older sources say Early Cretaceous.1
Ask Rex about Jobaria
Rex only answers questions about this page. 3 questions a day.
Rex is an AI and can make mistakes. He runs on servers in the EU and questions are never saved. Never type your name or other personal things.
Myth buster
Myth: Some people think Jobaria lived during the Early Cretaceous, about 132 million years ago.
Truth: Scientists now think the rocks where it was found are actually Middle Jurassic, about 167 to 161 million years old.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Jobaria
- Named by
- Sereno et al. 19995
- Group
- Long-necks
- Family / clade
- Eusauropoda5
- Classification
- Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda5
- Age of the rocks
- 162 to 143 million years (Oxfordian / Tithonian)5
- Rock formations
- Tiourarén5
- Countries
- Niger5
- Fossil records
- 2 in the Paleobiology Database5
- Discovery
- Jobaria was discovered in 1997 by a team led by Paul Sereno, during an expedition in the Sahara Desert. It was found in a mass-death site in Niger, and the species was named Jobaria tiguidensis in 1999.15
- Still debated
- Scientists are still debating exactly where Jobaria fits in the sauropod family tree. Some think it is a basal macronarian, while others think it is a non-neosauropod eusauropod.1
Where the facts come from
- Jobaria (en.wikipedia.org)
- Jobaria | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
- Discoveries | Paul Sereno - Paleontologist | The University of Chicago (paulsereno.uchicago.edu)
- paulsereno.uchicago.edu (paulsereno.uchicago.edu)
- Jobaria 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.
Rex is hungry! Dino Wiki is a dad's project for his dino-loving son, free with no ads. Grown-ups can feed Rex a snack to help keep it online.Feed Rex
Brachiosaurus
Diplodocus
Brontosaurus
Argentinosaurus
Camarasaurus
Morosaurus
Allosaurus
Compsognathus
Camptosaurus
Nanosaurus
Rhamphorhynchus
Ceratosaurus