Dino card No. 1405 of 2,027

Pelorosaurus

Say it: pə-LOR-oh-SOR-əs

Name means: “monstrous lizard”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksLate Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Pelorosaurus was a giant, long-necked plant-eater that stomped through Early Cretaceous England. It was one of the very first sauropods ever recognized as a dinosaur, not a sea monster!1 2

Lived

145 to 110 million years ago4

Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

England, United Kingdom2 1

Food

Plants4 2

Length

24 to 25 m1 2

Thomas Holtz estimated 24 m; NHM lists 25.0 m

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

as long as 6 cars parked in a rowas long as 140 bananas end to end

How big was Pelorosaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Pelorosaurus was one of the first sauropods to be identified as a dinosaur, but Richard Owen had earlier thought its bones belonged to a giant sea crocodile.1

Its front legs were relatively long, a trait typical of brachiosaurids, which helped it reach high vegetation.1

The name 'Pelorosaurus' was originally going to be 'Colossosaurus', but the scientist changed it because 'kolossos' meant 'statue' in Greek, not 'giant'.1

Many fossils once assigned to Pelorosaurus have turned out to belong to other dinosaurs, like Haestasaurus and Duriatitan.1

The humerus (upper arm bone) of Pelorosaurus was 137 centimeters long, which is taller than most adult humans.1

Pelorosaurus lived about 140 to 125 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous period.1 2

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

?How big was Pelorosaurus?

Thomas Holtz estimated its length at about 24 metres (79 feet). The Natural History Museum gives a length of 25 metres (82 feet).1 2

?What did Pelorosaurus eat?

Pelorosaurus was a herbivore. It ate tough vegetation, browsing on plants with its chisel-like teeth.2 3

?When did Pelorosaurus live?

Pelorosaurus lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 140 to 125 million years ago.1 2

?Where was Pelorosaurus found?

Fossils of Pelorosaurus have been found in England, including in Cuckfield, West Sussex, and on the Isle of Wight.1 2 3

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Myth buster

Myth: Pelorosaurus was a sea monster or a crocodile-like reptile.

Truth: Scientists now know it was a land-dwelling dinosaur, thanks to its leg bones that supported its weight on land.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Pelorosaurus
Named by: Mantell 18504
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Titanosauriformes4
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Macronaria4
Age of the rocks: 145 to 110 million years (Tithonian / Albian)4
Rock formations: Tunbridge Wells Sand4
Countries: United Kingdom, France4
Fossil records: 3 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Gideon Mantell named Pelorosaurus in 1850, based on bones found in England. He used a humerus and vertebrae that had been discovered earlier, and he was the first to suggest it was a dinosaur.1 4
Still debated: Scientists still debate whether Pelorosaurus is a valid genus, because the original bones might belong to more than one animal, and the name has a confusing history.1

Where the facts come from

Pelorosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Pelorosaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Pelorosaurus, an Isle of Wight basal titanosauriform - DinoWight (dinowight.org.uk)
Pelorosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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