Leonerasaurus
Leonerasaurus was a small, plant-eating dinosaur that lived in what is now Argentina. It had a long neck and walked on four legs, but it was much smaller than its giant sauropod cousins. This dinosaur helps scientists understand how the biggest dinosaurs evolved.21
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Fun facts
Leonerasaurus had four vertebrae in its sacrum (the part of the spine that connects to the hips), just like giant sauropods, even though it was much smaller.1
Its teeth were spoon-shaped and had no serrations, which is a feature seen in early sauropods.1
The fossil was found with many bones still connected, including the neck, back, hips, and shoulder bones.1
It was a close relative of sauropods, but it was not a true sauropod itself.1
The only known specimen is a subadult, meaning it was not fully grown when it died.2
Most asked questions about Leonerasaurus
?How big was Leonerasaurus?
About 2.4 metres long, 1 metre tall at the hip, and weighed around 70 kilograms.2
?What did Leonerasaurus eat?
It was a plant-eater. Its spoon-shaped teeth were good for eating soft plants.21
?When did Leonerasaurus live?
It lived during the Early Jurassic period, probably between 199 and 184 million years ago.2
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Leonerasaurus
- Named by
- Pol et al. 20114
- Group
- Long-necks
- Family / clade
- Sauropodiformes4
- Classification
- Sauropodomorpha4
- Age of the rocks
- 193 to 184 million years (Pliensbachian)4
- Rock formations
- Las Leoneras4
- Countries
- Argentina4
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- Leonerasaurus was named in 2011 by Diego Pol, Alberto Garrido, and Ignacio A. Cerda. The fossil was found in the Las Leoneras Formation in central Patagonia, Argentina.12
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly how old the rocks that held Leonerasaurus are. They think it lived in the Early Jurassic, but the exact age is debated.13
Where the facts come from
- A New Sauropodomorph Dinosaur from the Early Jurassic of Patagonia and the Origin and Evolution of the Sauropod-type Sacrum | PLOS One (journals.plos.org)
- Leonerasaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- A New Sauropodomorph Dinosaur from the Early Jurassic of Patagonia and the Origin and Evolution of the Sauropod-type Sacrum - PMC (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Leonerasaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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