Sauroposeidon Characteristics

Sauroposeidon was a huge dinosaur and measured 112 feet (34 metres) in length, 56 feet (17 metres) in height and weighed a massive 66 tons. It was probably the tallest, longest and heaviest dinosaur ever to walk the Earth beating even the enormous dinosaur Mamenchisaurus. It is thought that when Sauroposeidon walked, it shook the Earth. Sauroposeidon had a short, bulky body and would have stood 23 feet (7 metres) at shoulder height.

Sauroposeidon was a quadrupedal dinosaur that walked on its 4 thick, trunk-like legs. Its fore limbs were longer than its hind limbs and it had a similar body shape to modern day giraffes. The neck of Sauroposeidon would probably have measured around 39 feet (12 metres) in length. Sauroposeidon was probably able to raise its head 56 feet (17 metres) above the ground, which is as high as a 6 story building.

Sauroposeidon was a herbivore and would have had to eat huge amounts of plant material, such as conifers, early flowering plants, palms and sycamores to sustain itself. There were probably no predators who could take down a full-grown Sauroposeidon, however, juveniles were likely to be preyed on by Acrocanthosaurus (a carnosaur slightly smaller than a Tyrannosaurus Rex) and probably hunting packs of carnivorous Deinonychus.

Sauroposeidon fossils have been found, 4 neck vertebrae were discovered in 1994 in the southeastern portion of the US state of Oklahoma. The fossils were found in rocks dating to the Early Cretaceous, a period when the sauropods of North America had diminished in both size and numbers, making it the last known giant dinosaur on the continent. The vertebrae were extremely elongated with the largest one measuring 4.6 feet (1.4 metres) in length. It was the longest sauropod neck bone on record. The bones featured tiny air cells that would have decreased the weight which would have made it easier for Sauroposeidon to lift its neck. The bones were the longest dinosaur bones ever to be discovered.

Sauroposeidon was named by Matt Wedel and Richard Cifelli in 1999.