Seismosaurus Characteristics

Seismosaurus was a huge dinosaur who measured 130 - 170 feet (39 - 52 metres) in length, 18 feet (5.5 metres) in height and weighed around 30 tons. It was one of the longest dinosaurs to walk the Earth. Seismosaurus had an extremely long neck with a small head which contained small peg-like teeth which were useful for stripping foliage. Its nostrils sat on top of its head. Its hind limbs were longer than its fore limbs. The limbs were like short, thick trunks and helped to stablize the dinosaurs huge weight. Seismosaurus had 5 toes on its hoof-like feet that were similar to modern elephants feet. Each foot featured a thumb-claw which was probably used for protection.

The backbone of Seismosaurus had extra bones underneath it, which had bony protrusions running both forwards and backwards (chevron shaped), probably for support and extra flexibility of its neck and whip-like tail which was used for protection against predators. Seismosaurus held its neck horizontally and sort of parallel to the ground. It was able to poke its long neck into forests to forage for food as it was too large to actually enter into the forests.

Seismosaurus was a herbivore and ate plant material such as conifers, cycads, gingkos and also soft pteridophytes such as horsetails, club mosses and ferns. It could swallow whole leaves without chewing them and would have had gastroliths (stomach stones) in its stomach to help with the digestion of tough vegetation. Fossilized skeletons of sauropods have been found with these stones in their stomachs. Seismosaurus lived during a time when the Earths warm temperatures encouraged rapid plant growth. This helped to ensure an ample food supply.

Seismosaurus may have been a herd dinosaur and large groups would have migrated when food became scarce at the current location. Like other sauropods, these dinosaurs would have laid large eggs which would have been laid while they were walking as many sauropod eggs have been discovered in a linear pattern. It was possible that sauropods did not take care of their eggs. Seismosaurus was a sauropod, whose intelligence (as measured by its relative brain to body weight, or EQ) was the among the lowest of the dinosaurs.

Seismosaurus fossils have been found in New Mexico, USA. The remains of Seismosaurus include vertebrae, partial pelvis, chevrons, ribs and indicate it was one of the largest dinosaurs ever.

Seismosaurus was named by paleontologist Gillette in 1991.