Dino card No. 1811 of 2,027

Titanosaurus

Say it: tie-TAN-oh-SORE-us

Name means: “titanic lizard”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksLate Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Titanosaurus was a huge, long-necked plant-eater that lived in what is now India. It walked on four sturdy legs and used its long neck to reach leaves high in the trees. Scientists are not sure exactly what it looked like because the fossils are very incomplete.1 2

Lived

158 to 143 million years ago6

Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

India, in the Lameta Formation and the Kallakurichi Formation1

Food

Plants1

Length

9 to 12 m4

estimate

Weight

up to 13 tonnes4

estimate

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 2.5 cars parked in a rowas long as 67 bananas end to endas heavy as 9 carsas heavy as 2600 watermelons

How big was Titanosaurus compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Titanosaurus was named in 1877 by Richard Lydekker based on just a few bones: a partial thigh bone and two tail vertebrae.1 3

The name Titanosaurus means 'titanic lizard' because of its huge size.1

Many scientists now think Titanosaurus is a 'nomen dubium' (doubtful name) because the original bones are too few and not unique enough to tell it apart from other sauropods.2 3

Titanosaurus lived during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous, about 72 to 66 million years ago.1

The Lameta Formation where Titanosaurus was found was a dry landscape with a river, and it is famous for sauropod nesting sites with many dinosaur eggs.1

A prehistoric snake called Sanajeh raided the nests of sauropods like Titanosaurus for their eggs.1

Titanosaurus was originally thought to be found across many continents, but later studies showed most of those fossils belong to other dinosaurs.3

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

?How big was Titanosaurus?

About 9 to 12 metres (30 to 40 ft) long and up to roughly 13 tonnes. Some estimates suggest up to 18 metres (60 ft) long and 14,700 kg.4 5

?What did Titanosaurus eat?

It was a plant-eater (herbivore). It ate conifers, cycads, palm trees, and other plants that grew in its forested home.1

?When did Titanosaurus live?

It lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 72 to 66 million years ago. Its fossils are 70 million years old.1 5

?Where was Titanosaurus found?

Fossils have been found in India, in the Lameta and Kallakurichi Formations. It was the first dinosaur named from India.1 5

?Did Titanosaurus have armor?

Yes, it had bony armor on its back, which helped protect it from predators.5

?What does the name Titanosaurus mean?

It means 'titanic lizard,' named after the Titans of Greek mythology because of its huge size.1 5

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Myth buster

Myth: Titanosaurus was a well-known, definite dinosaur species.

Truth: Titanosaurus is now considered a 'nomen dubium' because its fossils are too fragmentary to be sure what it really was.2 3

For dino experts

Scientific name: Titanosaurus
Named by: Marsh 18776
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Diplodocidae6
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Diplodocoidea6
Age of the rocks: 158 to 143 million years ()6
Rock formations: Lameta6
Countries: India6
Fossil records: 67 in the Paleobiology Database6
Discovery: Titanosaurus was named by British paleontologist Richard Lydekker in 1877 based on fossils found in India. The first bones were a partial thigh bone and two tail vertebrae.1
Still debated: Scientists still debate whether Titanosaurus is a valid genus or just a mix of bones from different dinosaurs, because the original fossils are so incomplete.2 3

Where the facts come from

Titanosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
A revision of Titanosaurus Lydekker (dinosauria ‐ sauropoda), the first dinosaur genus with a ‘Gondwanan’ distribution (tandfonline.com)
Titanosaurus Facts | Paleontology World (paleontologyworld.com)
Titanosaurus Fact Sheet (enchantedlearning.com)
Titanosaurus 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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