How tall was Riojasaurus?
| Riojasaurus | |
|---|---|
| Meaning | La Rioja Lizard |
| Height | 10 m |
| Weight | 7 tons |
| Species | Dinosaur |
When did Riojasaurus live?
It lived in the Triassic period and inhabited South America. Its fossils have been found in places such as Argentina and Argentina. Quick facts about Riojasaurus: Existed from 228 million years ago to 208.5 million years ago.
What did the Riojasaurus eat?
Riojasaurus was an herbivore, a plant eater. Given its leg and ankle structure, it probably couldn’t rear up on its back legs to graze or run. Riojasaurus was a sauropodomorpha, whose intelligence (as measured by its relative brain to body weight, or EQ) was the lowest among the dinosaurs.
Where was the Riojasaurus found?
Los Colorados
Riojasaurus (meaning “Rioja lizard”) was a herbivorous sauropodomorph dinosaur named after La Rioja Province in Argentina where it was found in the Los Colorados Formation in the Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin by José Bonaparte. It lived during the Late Triassic (Norian stage) and grew to about 10 metres (33 ft) long.
How big was the body of a Riojasaurus?
Riojasaurus had a heavy body (~1 tonne), bulky legs, and a long neck and tail. It is thought to be around 10 metres (33 feet) in length. Its leg bones were dense and massive for an early sauropodomorph.
Is the Riojasaurus related to the sauropods?
Due to their size and limb anatomy, Riojasaurus and the possibly related Melanorosaurus have been considered close relatives of the earliest sauropods. Riojasaurus appeared on Dinosaur Train. Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
What kind of gait does a Riojasaurus have?
The nearly equal length of the fore and hindlimbs has also been interpreted as suggestive of an obligatorily quadrupedal gait. However, in 2016, Scott Hartman found the hand anatomy, relatively straight back and largely immobile shoulder girdle of Riojasaurus supported it being a biped.
How did the Riojasaurus incertus get its name?
Thus the name ‘riojasaurus’ indicates ‘the lizard of Rioja’. The specific name Riojasaurus incertus indicates ‘uncertain’ in Latin. The specimens were named so as many characters about the dinosaur were ambiguous at that point of time. The remains of the Riojasaurus were found in the Los Colorados Formation in La Esquina, Argentina.