恐龍卡第 1317 張，共 2 027 張

Oplosaurus

名字的意思： “armed lizard or weapon lizard”1

吃：植物長脖子恐龍白堊紀早期

Oplosaurus was a huge, long-necked plant-eater that lived on the Isle of Wight during the Early Cretaceous. It is known from just one big tooth, but that tooth tells us it was a giant, like a Brachiosaurus. Imagine a gentle giant munching on leaves with a tooth as big as your hand!1 2

生存年代

137 到 121 百萬年前3

白堊紀早期

化石發現地

Brighstone Bay (formerly Brixton Bay), Isle of Wight, England1 3 2

長度

22 到 25 m (72 到 82 ft)1 2

高度

5.5 m (18 ft)

估計值

最高速度

時速約 10 公里（6 英里）

跑步, 估計值

牠生活在什麼時候？

三疊紀

侏羅紀

白堊紀

2 億 5200 萬年前20114566，小行星撞地球

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

牠有多高？

估計值

跟 6 台汽車排成一排一樣長跟 140 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長高到能從 2 樓的窗戶往裡看能在 36 秒內跑完 100 公尺（最快的人類要 9.6 秒）

Oplosaurus 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡算算數學。什麼都不會被儲存或傳送出去。

牠有多快？

走路的人 時速約 5 公里 (3 mph)

Oplosaurus 時速約 10 公里 (6 mph)

騎腳踏車的小朋友 時速約 12 公里 (7 mph)

一匹飛奔的馬 時速約 65 公里 (40 mph)

一隻獵豹 時速約 100 公里 (62 mph)

酷東西

趣味知識

Oplosaurus is known only from a single tooth, found in the 1850s. This tooth is 85 mm (3.35 inches) tall, about as long as a credit card.1 2

The tooth looks very similar to a Brachiosaurus tooth, so scientists think Oplosaurus was a giant sauropod, maybe 25 metres (82 feet) long.1 2

Its name means 'armed lizard' or 'weapon lizard', probably because the tooth looked like a weapon. The species name armatus also means 'armed' in Latin.1

Some scientists think Oplosaurus might have been a turiasaur, a group of primitive sauropods with heart-shaped teeth. Others place it in the Camarasauridae family.1

The tooth has a pointed tip and wear facets from grinding plants. This shows Oplosaurus was a plant-eater that chewed its food.1

Oplosaurus lived on the Isle of Wight when it was a low plain with rivers and lakes. The climate was warm and humid, like a subtropical forest.1

Because only one tooth has been found, Oplosaurus is a 'tooth taxon'. Scientists are not sure if it is a valid genus or if the tooth belongs to another dinosaur like Pelorosaurus.1 2

Oplosaurus 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Oplosaurus 可能的樣子。這只是猜測：真正的動物可能長得不一樣，也沒有人知道牠真正的顏色。

你們都在問

關於 Oplosaurus 最常被問的問題

?How big was Oplosaurus?

About 25 metres (82 feet) long, based on its tooth being as big as a Brachiosaurus tooth.1 2

?What did Oplosaurus eat?

It was a plant-eater. Its tooth has wear facets from grinding tough vegetation.1 2

?Where was Oplosaurus found?

On the Isle of Wight, England, in the Wessex Formation near Brighstone Bay.1 2

?Is Oplosaurus a dinosaur?

Yes, it is a sauropod dinosaur, a long-necked plant-eater from the Early Cretaceous.1 3

迷思破解王

迷思： Oplosaurus was an armoured dinosaur like Hylaeosaurus.

真相： Scientists once thought the tooth belonged to an armoured dinosaur because it was sharp, but Oplosaurus is now considered a long-necked sauropod, not an armoured dinosaur.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Oplosaurus
命名者: Gervais 18523
類群: 長脖子恐龍
科 / 演化支: Sauropoda3
分類: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda3
岩石的年代: 137 到 121 百萬年 (Valanginian / Barremian)3
國家: 英國3
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 1 筆3
發現: In 1852, geologist Thomas Wright reported a large tooth found near Brixton Bay on the Isle of Wight. French paleontologist Paul Gervais named it Oplosaurus armatus the same year.1
仍有爭議: Scientists are not sure if Oplosaurus is a valid dinosaur or if its tooth belongs to another sauropod such as Pelorosaurus or a turiasaur.1 2