Dino card No. 1201 of 2,027

Mongolosaurus

Say it: MON-goh-loh-SORE-us

Name means: “Mongolian lizard”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksEarly Cretaceous

Mongolosaurus was a long-necked sauropod that lived in what is now Inner Mongolia, China. It munched on plants and walked on four sturdy legs. Scientists know it from just a few bones, so it is still a bit mysterious.4 1

Lived

121 to 100 million years ago4

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Hu Khung Ulan, Inner Mongolia, China1 4

Food

Plants1 4

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

cool stuff

Fun facts

Mongolosaurus was named in 1933 by paleontologist Charles W. Gilmore based on a few bones and teeth found in the On Gong Formation.1

Its teeth were very different from other sauropods, which is why scientists gave it its own genus.1

The type specimen, AMNH 6710, includes parts of the skull, teeth, and neck bones.1 4

Mongolosaurus lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 121 to 100 million years ago.2

Some scientists think Mongolosaurus might be a titanosaur, a group of huge sauropods, but others are not sure.2

It is the only dinosaur known from the On Gong Formation in Inner Mongolia.1

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

?How big was Mongolosaurus?

Nobody knows for sure. Scientists have only found a few bones and teeth, so they cannot estimate its total size yet.3 1

?What did Mongolosaurus eat?

It ate plants. Its teeth were slender and pointed, a bit like those of Diplodocus, which helped it munch on leaves.1

?Is Mongolosaurus a titanosaur?

Many scientists think so, but they are not completely sure. Recent studies suggest it might be a titanosaur, a group of huge sauropods.3

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Myth buster

Myth: Some people think Mongolosaurus was a huge, well-known dinosaur like Brachiosaurus.

Truth: Actually, Mongolosaurus is known from very few bones, and scientists still debate whether it is a valid genus or a nomen dubium (a doubtful name).2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Mongolosaurus
Named by: Gilmore 19334
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Titanosauria4
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Titanosauria > Macronaria4
Age of the rocks: 121 to 100 million years (Aptian / Albian)4
Rock formations: On Gong4
Countries: China4
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Mongolosaurus was named by Charles W. Gilmore in 1933. The fossils were collected by Walter Granger on June 3, 1928, at Hu Khung Ulan in Inner Mongolia.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure which group of sauropods Mongolosaurus belongs to. It has been placed in many different families over the years, from Diplodocidae to Titanosauria.2

Where the facts come from

AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES (digitallibrary.amnh.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Mongolosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Mongolosaurus 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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