Dino card No. 1539 of 2,027

Rebbachisaurus

Say it: reb-uh-kih-SORE-us

Name means: “Aït Rebbach lizard”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksEarly Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous

Rebbachisaurus was a huge, long-necked plant-eater that stomped through ancient African wetlands. It had a very tall backbone with spines that reached up to 1.5 metres high, making it one of the biggest members of its dinosaur family.1

Lived

106 to 94 million years ago4

Early Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Errachidia Province, Morocco1

Food

Plants4 1

Length

14 m1

scientists think it was about 14 metres long

Weight

7 tonnes to 12 tonnes1

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 2 elephants

as long as 3 cars parked in a rowas long as 78 bananas end to endas heavy as 8 carsas heavy as 2400 watermelons

How big was Rebbachisaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Rebbachisaurus is the only named sauropod dinosaur from the Kem Kem Beds of Morocco.1

Its backbone spines were extremely tall, up to 150 centimetres (59 inches), much taller than those of its South American relatives which only reached about 50 centimetres.1

The first fossils were found in 1948 by French paleontologist René Lavocat during an expedition in the Sahara Desert.1

Rebbachisaurus lived alongside giant meat-eaters like Carcharodontosaurus, Spinosaurus, and Deltadromeus.1

Its skeleton was full of air sacs, making its bones lighter and helping it breathe better.1

The name Rebbachisaurus comes from the Aït Rebbach tribe, a Berber group that lived in the area where the fossils were found.1

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

?How big was Rebbachisaurus?

Rebbachisaurus was about 14 metres (46 feet) long and weighed 7 to 12 metric tons (7.7 to 13.2 short tons). Earlier estimates said 20 metres (66 feet), but newer studies give the smaller size.2 3

?What did Rebbachisaurus eat?

Rebbachisaurus was a herbivore, meaning it ate plants. It was a ground-height browser that likely ate low-growing vegetation.2 3

?When did Rebbachisaurus live?

Rebbachisaurus lived during the Late Cretaceous period, between about 99 and 97 million years ago.2 3

?Where was Rebbachisaurus found?

Rebbachisaurus fossils were found in Morocco, in the Kem Kem Beds of the Sahara Desert. The first skeleton was discovered in 1948.2 3

?Did Rebbachisaurus have a sail?

Rebbachisaurus had very tall spines on its backbone, up to 1.5 metres high, which may have supported a sail-like structure. This is similar to some other dinosaurs.3 2

?Was Rebbachisaurus bigger than T. rex?

Rebbachisaurus was longer than T. rex, at about 14 metres (46 feet) compared to T. rex's 12 metres (40 feet). But T. rex was much heavier and a meat eater.2

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Myth buster

Myth: Some people think Rebbachisaurus was as long as 20 metres, like Apatosaurus.

Truth: Scientists now think it was about 14 metres long, based on newer studies.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Rebbachisaurus
Named by: Lavocat 19544
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Rebbachisauridae4
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Diplodocoidea4
Age of the rocks: 106 to 94 million years (Albian / Cenomanian)4
Rock formations: Gara Sbaa4
Countries: Morocco4
Fossil records: 5 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Rebbachisaurus was named in 1954 by French paleontologist René Lavocat. He found the first bones in 1948 at a site called Gara Sbaa in Morocco.1
Still debated: Scientists are still unsure exactly how Rebbachisaurus is related to other rebbachisaurid dinosaurs.1

Where the facts come from

Rebbachisaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Rebbachisaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Rebbachisaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Rebbachisaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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