Phosphatotitan
Phosphatotitan was a long-necked sauropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Morocco. It was a plant-eater and walked on four sturdy legs. Even though it was big, it was much smaller than its giant relatives like Patagotitan.1
When did it live?
How big was it?
How long was it?
How heavy was it?
How big was Phosphatotitan compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
Fun facts
Phosphatotitan lived about 72 to 66 million years ago, during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous.4
Its fossils were found in a phosphate mine, which is why it was named 'phosphate giant'.1
Phosphatotitan weighed about 3.5 to 4 tonnes, which is as much as a large elephant.2
Its closest relatives were giant South American sauropods like Patagotitan, but Phosphatotitan was much smaller.2
The only known skeleton includes vertebrae from the back, tail, and hips, plus parts of the pelvis.1
Phosphatotitan lived in a warm, shallow sea, and its bones were buried in phosphate sandstones.2
It was named in 2026 by Nicholas Longrich and colleagues.1
Most asked questions about Phosphatotitan
?How big was Phosphatotitan?
It weighed about 3.5 to 4.3 tonnes, which is as much as a large elephant. It was much smaller than its giant relative Patagotitan.13
?What did Phosphatotitan eat?
It was a plant-eater, like all sauropod dinosaurs.1
?When did Phosphatotitan live?
It lived during the late Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous, about 72 to 66 million years ago.1
?Where was Phosphatotitan found?
Its fossils were discovered in a phosphate mine in the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Khouribga Province, Morocco.1
?Is Phosphatotitan a dinosaur?
Yes, it is a titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur.1
?Why is it called Phosphatotitan?
Its name means 'phosphate giant' because its fossils were found in phosphate deposits in Morocco.1
Ask Rex about Phosphatotitan
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
- Phosphatotitan
- Named by
- Longrich et al. 20264
- Group
- Long-necks
- Family / clade
- Argentinosauridae4
- Classification
- Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Titanosauria > Macronaria4
- Age of the rocks
- 72 to 66 million years (Maastrichtian)4
- Rock formations
- Couche III4
- Countries
- Morocco4
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- Phosphatotitan was discovered in the Sidi Chennane phosphate mine in Morocco. It was named by Nicholas Longrich and colleagues in 2026 based on a partial skeleton.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly how Phosphatotitan got to Africa, since its closest relatives lived in South America.2
Where the facts come from
- Phosphatotitan (en.wikipedia.org)
- A Titanosaurian Sauropod with South American Affinities (Lognkosauria: Argentinosauridae) from the Late Maastrichtian of Morocco and Evidence for Dinosaur Endemism in Africa (mdpi.com)
- A Titanosaurian Sauropod with South American Affinities (Lognkosauria: Argentinosauridae) from the Late Maastrichtian of Morocco and Evidence for Dinosaur Endemism in Africa (dinodata.de)
- Phosphatotitan 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
Tyrannosaurus
Triceratops
Velociraptor
Spinosaurus
Ankylosaurus
Parasaurolophus