Lurdusaurus
Lurdusaurus was a huge, heavy plant-eater that looked a bit like a giant ground sloth. It had a small head, a long neck, a round body, and very strong arms with big claws. Scientists think it may have moved slowly on all fours, like a hippo.2
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Fun facts
Lurdusaurus had a huge thumb spike that was much bigger than in other iguanodonts.2
Its stomach was only about 70 cm (2 ft 4 in) off the ground when it stood on all fours.2
Some scientists think Lurdusaurus may have been the first ornithischian dinosaur with graviportal anatomy, meaning it was built to support a heavy body while moving slowly.2
It lived about 112 million years ago in a forested, riverine environment.2
Lurdusaurus shared its home with the giant crocodile Sarcosuchus and the spinosaur Suchomimus.2
The first skeleton was found in 1965 by French paleontologist Philippe Taquet in the Tenere desert of Niger.2
Most asked questions about Lurdusaurus
?How big was Lurdusaurus?
About 7 to 9 metres (23 to 30 ft) long and 2 metres (6.6 ft) tall at the hips. It weighed between 2.5 and 5.5 tonnes (2.8 to 6.1 short tons), depending on the estimate.21
?What did Lurdusaurus eat?
It was a herbivore, meaning it ate plants. It lived in a forested, riverine area with soft plants like ferns and horsetails.21
?Could Lurdusaurus swim?
Scientists are not sure, but one paleontologist thought it may have behaved like a hippo, spending time in water. Its heavy body and short legs suggest it was a slow, powerful animal on land.2
?Did Lurdusaurus have feathers?
No known fossils show feathers on Lurdusaurus. It was an ornithischian dinosaur, and most ornithischians are not known to have feathers.2
?Was Lurdusaurus bigger than T. rex?
No, T. rex was much bigger. Lurdusaurus was about 9 metres (30 ft) long, while T. rex could reach over 12 metres (40 ft) and was much heavier.2
?Why did Lurdusaurus have a thumb spike?
The huge thumb spike was probably used for defense. Scientists think it was used for protection against predators.2
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Myth buster
Myth: Some people think Lurdusaurus was a slow, clumsy dinosaur that could not defend itself.
Truth: Lurdusaurus had powerful arms and enormous thumb spikes that could have been used for defense against predators like Suchomimus.2
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Lurdusaurus
- Named by
- Taquet and Russell 19993
- Group
- Beaked plant-eaters
- Family / clade
- Iguanodontoidea3
- Classification
- Ornithischia > Ornithopoda > Iguanodontia3
- Age of the rocks
- 113 to 100 million years (Albian)3
- Rock formations
- Elrhaz3
- Countries
- Niger3
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Philippe Taquet discovered the nearly complete skeleton in 1965 in Niger. It was named Lurdusaurus arenatus by Taquet and Dale Russell in 1999.23
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure whether Lurdusaurus was mostly bipedal or always walked on all fours.2
Where the facts come from
- Lurdusaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
- Lurdusaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Lurdusaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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