Aegyptosaurus Characteristics

Aegyptosaurus was a quadrupedal sauropod that weighed roughly 10.5 tons, was 15 metres (50 feet) long and was over 5 metres (16 feet) tall. Aegyptosaurus had a long neck and a small skull. The dinosaurs long tail probably acted as a counterweight to its body mass. It also had relatively long legs. Aegyptosaurus was a herbivore and ate many plants to survive. Aegyptosaurus was a close relative of Argentinosaurus, a much larger dinosaur found in South America. It has been suggested that it may have evolved from its South American relative, after crossing the ancient land bridge between Africa and South America. It is quite likely that Aegyptosaurus was common prey for large predatory dinosaurs, such as Carcharodontosaurus and Spinosaurus.

Aegyptosaurus fossils have been found in Egypt, Niger and in several different locations in the Sahara Desert. All known examples were discovered before 1939. The fossils were stored together in Munich, but were obliterated when a bombing raid destroyed the museum where they were kept in 1944, during World War II.

The Aegyptosaurus was named by Ernst Stromer in 1932.