Supersaurus Characteristics

Supersaurus measured 131 feet (40 metres) in length, 54 feet (16.5 metres) in height and weighed 55 tons. It had a very long neck that measured 39 feet (12 metres) long and a small head. It may have had very limited vertical neck mobility. Supersaurus held its neck more or less parallel to the ground. Its long neck would have been useful for foraging in trees in forests where it would not otherwise be able to venture because of its great size.

Supersaurus was a quadrupedal dinosaur and walked slowly on 4 thick, trunk-like legs. Its hind legs were longer than it front legs. It had 5 toes on each of its elephant-like feet, one toe on each foot was a thumb-claw. Supersaurus had a whip-like tail which it probably used for protection.

Supersaurus was a herbivore and would have used its spoon-like teeth to strip foliage and grind up prehistoric plant material such as conifers, gingkos, cycads and ferns. It would have eaten a huge amount of vegetation to sustain its huge size and may have swallowed gastroliths (stomach stones) to help with the digestion of tough plant material.

Supersaurus may have traveled in large herds and migrated when food supplies were scarce. Like other sauropods, Supersaurus laid eggs as they walked. Evidence of this is the discovery of eggs being found in linear patterns. It is thought that sauropods did not take care of their eggs. The life span of sauropods could be 100 years. Supersaurus intelligence (as measured by its relative brain to body weight, or EQ) was the among the lowest of the dinosaurs.

The first Supersaurus fossil was found in western Colorado, USA, by paleontologist James A. Jensen in 1972, and was named in 1985. Supersaurus is only known from an incomplete fossil which includes 2 shoulder blades 8 feet (2.4 metres) long, ribs 10 feet (3 metres) long, neck vertebrae 4.5 feet (1.4 metres) long, and a pelvis 6 feet (1.8 metres) wide.