Dino card No. 1699 of 2,027

Spinophorosaurus

Say it: SPY-no-FOR-oh-SORE-us

Name means: “spine-bearing lizard”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksMiddle Jurassic

Spinophorosaurus was a long-necked plant eater that lived in what is now Niger, Africa, about 170 to 165 million years ago. It was one of the most completely known early sauropods, and scientists even made a 3D printed copy of its skeleton!1 2

Lived

171 to 165 million years ago4

Middle Jurassic

Fossils found in

Niger, in the Irhazer Shale (Irhazer II Formation), near Agadez1 2

Food

Plants1 2

Length

13 to 14 m1

estimates for the two known specimens

Weight

7 tonnes1

Height

4 m1

at the shoulders

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

as long as 3 cars parked in a rowas long as 78 bananas end to endas heavy as 5 carsabout as heavy as an elephantas heavy as 1400 watermelonsas tall as 2 doors stacked up

How big was Spinophorosaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Spinophorosaurus was the first sauropod to have its skeleton 3D printed, so scientists could study it without damaging the real bones.1

Its neck had 13 vertebrae and is one of the most completely known among sauropods.1

The back vertebrae had tiny air filled chambers inside, a feature usually seen in later, more advanced sauropods.1

The tail had strong muscles and a stiff rear part because of long overlapping chevron bones.1

Bones first thought to be spiky armor on the tail were later suggested to be clavicles, or collarbones.1

Its inner ear features suggest that vision and coordinated eye, head, and neck movements were important to it.1

Scientists used 3D models to test how it moved, and one study suggests it may have been a high browser, eating from tall plants.1

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

?How big was Spinophorosaurus?

About 13 to 14 metres (43 to 46 feet) long, 4 metres (13 feet) tall at the shoulder, and weighed around 7 metric tons (7.7 short tons).1

?What did Spinophorosaurus eat?

It was a plant eater. Its spoon-shaped teeth with large denticles helped it eat tough plants, and it may have been a high browser, eating from tall trees like a giraffe.1 3

?Did Spinophorosaurus have spikes on its tail?

Scientists first thought it had spiky armor on its tail, but later studies suggest those bones were actually clavicles (collarbones), not tail spikes.1

?Where was Spinophorosaurus found?

It was found in Niger, Africa, in rocks called the Irhazer Shale that are about 170 to 165 million years old.1

?How fast could Spinophorosaurus run?

Nobody knows for sure, but as a large, heavy sauropod it probably moved slowly, maybe as fast as a walking person. No source gives a speed.1

?Is Spinophorosaurus a dinosaur?

Yes, it is a dinosaur. It is a sauropod, a type of long-necked plant-eating dinosaur.1

Ask Rex about Spinophorosaurus

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Myth buster

Myth: Some people think Spinophorosaurus had spiky armor on its tail, like a thagomizer.

Truth: Scientists first thought the spiky bones were armor, but later they suggested these bones were actually clavicles, not spikes.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Spinophorosaurus
Named by: Remes et al. 20094
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Gravisauria4
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda4
Age of the rocks: 171 to 165 million years (Bajocian / Bathonian)4
Rock formations: Irhazer II4
Countries: Niger4
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: The first two skeletons were dug up in the 2000s by German and Spanish teams in Niger, under difficult conditions. They were named Spinophorosaurus nigerensis by Remes and colleagues in 2009.1 2
Still debated: Scientists still debate whether Spinophorosaurus was a very basal sauropod or belonged to a more advanced group called Eusauropoda.1

Where the facts come from

Spinophorosaurus - Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
High browsing skeletal adaptations in Spinophorosaurus reveal an evolutionary innovation in sauropod dinosaurs | Scientific Reports (nature.com)
Spinophorosaurus 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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