Narindasaurus
Narindasaurus was a long-necked plant-eater that lived on the island of Madagascar about 168 million years ago. It had heart-shaped teeth that helped it munch on leaves. This dinosaur is known from just one partial skeleton, but it tells us a lot about how sauropods evolved.13
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Fun facts
Narindasaurus was a turiasaur, a group of sauropods that lived mainly in Europe and Africa during the Jurassic.1
Its teeth are heart-shaped, which is a special feature of turiasaurs and helped scientists identify it.1
The only known fossil includes parts of the tail, leg bones, and a tooth, found in Madagascar between 1896 and 1905.1
Narindasaurus lived during the Bathonian stage of the Middle Jurassic, about 168 to 165 million years ago.2
Its tail bones have a unique asymmetrical pit that is not seen in other dinosaurs.1
The dinosaur was named in 2020, but the fossils were first described in 1907 as belonging to a different species.1
Most asked questions about Narindasaurus
?How big was Narindasaurus?
Scientists are not sure exactly how big it was, because only a partial skeleton has been found. Estimates suggest it was a medium sized sauropod, but more fossils are needed for a precise length.3
?What did Narindasaurus eat?
Narindasaurus was a plant-eater, or herbivore. Its heart-shaped teeth helped it munch on leaves.13
?When did Narindasaurus live?
Narindasaurus lived during the Middle Jurassic, about 168 to 165 million years ago.13
?Where was Narindasaurus found?
The only known fossil of Narindasaurus was found in the Isalo III Formation of Madagascar, near Narinda Bay.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Narindasaurus is a type of Brachiosaurus.
Truth: Narindasaurus is a turiasaur, a different group of sauropods, not closely related to Brachiosaurus.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Narindasaurus
- Named by
- Royo-Torres et al. 20213
- Group
- Long-necks
- Family / clade
- Turiasauria3
- Classification
- Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda3
- Age of the rocks
- 168 to 165 million years (Bathonian)3
- Rock formations
- Isalo III3
- Countries
- Madagascar3
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- The fossils were collected in Madagascar between 1896 and 1905 for the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. Armand Thevenin first described them in 1907, but the dinosaur was not named Narindasaurus thevenini until 2020 by Rafael Royo-Torres and colleagues.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are still unsure exactly how big Narindasaurus grew, because only a partial skeleton has been found.2
Where the facts come from
- Narindasaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Narindasaurus 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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