When did it live?
How big was it?
How long was it?
How big was Ninjatitan compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
Fun facts
Ninjatitan was named in 2021 after a nickname of Argentine paleontologist Sebastian Apesteguia, who was called 'Ninja'.1
Its fossils were found in rocks that are about 140 to 134 million years old, from the Early Cretaceous period.1
When it was first described, scientists thought Ninjatitan was the oldest known titanosaur, but later research showed that Tengrisaurus from Russia is about the same age and more clearly a titanosaur.1
Some scientists now think Ninjatitan might not be a titanosaur at all, because its tail bones look more like those of other long-necked dinosaurs called diplodocoids.1
The skeleton of Ninjatitan was found in the same area as two other long-necked dinosaurs, Leinkupal and Bajadasaurus, but from a slightly deeper rock layer.1
Ninjatitan's back bones have a honeycomb-like internal structure, which is a feature of titanosauriforms and helped make the skeleton lighter.1
Most asked questions about Ninjatitan
?How big was Ninjatitan?
Ninjatitan grew to about 20 metres (66 feet) long, with column-like legs and a long neck and tail. That is about the length of two school buses.2
?When did Ninjatitan live?
Ninjatitan lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 140 to 134 million years ago. That is the Berriasian to Valanginian age.13
?Was Ninjatitan the oldest titanosaur?
When first described in 2021, scientists thought Ninjatitan was the oldest titanosaur, but later research showed that Tengrisaurus from Russia is about the same age and more clearly a titanosaur. Some scientists now think Ninjatitan might not be a titanosaur at all.12
?What did Ninjatitan eat?
Ninjatitan was a plant-eater, like other sauropods. It used its long neck to reach leaves and other vegetation.1
Ask Rex about Ninjatitan
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.
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Ninjatitan
- Named by
- Gallina et al. 20213
- Group
- Long-necks
- Family / clade
- Titanosauria3
- Classification
- Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Titanosauria > Macronaria3
- Age of the rocks
- 139 to 133 million years (Berriasian / Valanginian)3
- Rock formations
- Bajada Colorada3
- Countries
- Argentina3
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Ninjatitan was named and described in 2021 by paleontologists Pablo Gallina, Juan Canale, and José Carballido, based on a partial skeleton found in 2014 in Argentina.13
- Still debated
- Scientists still debate whether Ninjatitan truly belongs to the titanosaur group or if it should be classified outside of it.1
Where the facts come from
- Ninjatitan (en.wikipedia.org)
- This 'Ninja Giant' is the oldest titanosaur on record | Live Science (livescience.com)
- Ninjatitan 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
Stegosaurus
Iguanodon
Archaeopteryx
Giganotosaurus
Microraptor
Deinonychus