Dino card No. 1731 of 2,027

Suuwassea

Say it: SOO-oo-WAH-see-uh

Name means: “first thunder heard in Spring”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksLate Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Suuwassea was a long-necked plant-eater that lived in what is now Montana, USA. It was about two-thirds the size of its famous relatives Diplodocus and Apatosaurus. Its name comes from the Crow Native American language and means 'first thunder heard in Spring.'2 1

Lived

155 to 143 million years ago3

Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Southern Carbon County, Montana, USA2 1

Food

Plants3

Length

14 to 15 m2 1

estimate based on partial skeleton

Weight

5 tonnes2

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 83 bananas end to endas heavy as 3 carsabout as heavy as an elephantas heavy as 1000 watermelons

How big was Suuwassea compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Suuwassea is known from only one partial skeleton, found in 1999 and 2000.2 1

It had a mix of features from both diplodocids and dicraeosaurids, making it a primitive member of the group.2 1

The bones of Suuwassea were found in the Morrison Formation, a famous rock layer that also produced many other dinosaurs like Stegosaurus and Allosaurus.2 1

Its skull had a long, narrow process on the supraoccipital bone that barely touched the foramen magnum, the hole where the spinal cord enters the skull.1

The tail of Suuwassea had amphiplatyan centra in the distal vertebrae, meaning the ends of the bones were flat.1

The humerus (upper arm bone) had a well-developed dorsal tuberculum, a bump for muscle attachment.1

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

?How big was Suuwassea?

Suuwassea was about 15 meters long and weighed around 5 metric tons. That is roughly half the size of Diplodocus or Apatosaurus.2 1

?What did Suuwassea eat?

Suuwassea was a herbivore, meaning it ate plants. It used its long neck to reach leaves from trees and other vegetation.2

?When did Suuwassea live?

Suuwassea lived during the Late Jurassic period, about 156 to 147 million years ago. Its fossils were found in the Morrison Formation in Montana, USA.2

?Is Suuwassea a dinosaur?

Yes, Suuwassea is a dinosaur. It is a type of sauropod, specifically a dicraeosaurid, which is a long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur.2

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Suuwassea
Named by: Harris and Dodson 20043
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Dicraeosauridae3
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Diplodocoidea3
Age of the rocks: 155 to 143 million years (Kimmeridgian / Tithonian)3
Rock formations: Morrison3
Countries: USA3
Fossil records: 2 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Suuwassea was named by J.D. Harris and Peter Dodson in 2004. The only known skeleton was collected during expeditions in 1999 and 2000, funded by Emilie deHellebranth, a paleontology advocate.2 1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure whether Suuwassea is more closely related to diplodocids or dicraeosaurids, because it has features of both groups.2 1

Where the facts come from

A new diplodocoid sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of Montana, USA (dinodata.de)
Suuwassea (en.wikipedia.org)
Suuwassea 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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