Fun Aegyptosaurus Facts For Kids

The Aegyptosurus is a genus of Sauropod Titanosaurians whose fossils belonged to the Cenomanian Faunal age of the late Cretaceous period. This dinosaur is closely related to a larger dinosaur from South America called the Argentinosaurus. Like characteristic features of most Sauropods, fossils of these dinosaurs displayed a long neck with a small skull; a hefty body mass; and a thick, long tail.

The Aegyptosaurus was discovered in the Farak formation of Niger, the Bahariya formation of Egypt, and various locations spread across the Sahara Desert. In 1932, this dinosaur was described by Ernst Stromer, a German paleontologist, and all current fossils were found before 1939. This dinosaur received its generic name because its fossils were found in Egypt, thus the name means 'Egyptian lizard'.

All known fossils of this dinosaur were kept at a museum in Munich. However, during World War II, Allies bombed the museum in 1944, destroying the dinosaur specimen from Egypt and the Sahara Desert. Only a few fragments of this Late Cretaceous period dinosaur from Niger were salvaged, although not in their initial form.

If you want to reveal many more secrets hidden in dinosaur diaries, check out the Brachytrachelopan and the Fukuiraptor.

How do you pronounce 'Aegyptosaurus'? 

The Aegyptosaurus pronunciation would be 'ay-jipt-o-sore-us'.

What type of dinosaur was an Aegyptosaurus?

The Aegyptosaurus dinosaur was a Titanosaurian Sauropod from Egypt.

In which geological period did the Aegyptosaurus roam the Earth?

The geological period in which the Aegyptosaurus was alive was the Cenomanian Faunal stage of the late Cretaceous epoch.

When did the Aegyptosaurus become extinct?

The Aegyptosaurus, along with the rest of the Titanosaurs, went extinct during the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, which was when the Earth was hit by an asteroid about 66 million years ago.

Where did an Aegyptosaurus live? 

This dinosaur lived in the Bahariya formation of Egypt, the Farak formation in Niger, and in a multitude of different locations in what is now the Sahara Desert.

What was an Aegyptosaurus' habitat? 

The Aegyptosaurus environment included heavily forested areas around water bodies, like coasts, lakes, and rivers.

Who did an Aegyptosaurus live with?

All studies conducted on fossils of Sauropod dinosaurs show that they lived in herds. Some studies even showed that herds were segregated by age.

How long did an Aegyptosaurus live?

The age or lifespan of an Aegyptosaurus baharijensis dinosaur is unknown due to lack of evidence.

How did they reproduce?

Although not much is known about the direct reproduction system of this dinosaur, it was a member of the Titanosauria and shared a similar system. It is thought that these dinosaurs had a clutch size of around 25 eggs and the female would dig into the ground with her back feet to make a nest. After laying eggs, she would cover it under plant matter and dirt for incubation because she was too large to cover eggs herself. It is also suggested that these dinosaurs lived in herds and parental care was involved until young ones could fend for themselves.

What did an Aegyptosaurus look like?

Described by the German paleontologist Ernst Stromer, the Aegyptosaurus had a long neck and tail with a strangely small head; a thick, chunky body; and log-like heavy legs. It was almost like the giraffe with its elongated neck, except that the giraffe has a much more slender body that is better balanced. Titanosaurs had enlarged nostrils with crests formed from the nasal bone and their teeth looked like a row of upward-pointing spoons, like the top edge of a picket fence. Their massive, whip-like tails were said to provide a counterbalance to their irregularly shaped body. These dinosaurs are said to have been close relatives of the Argentinosaurus from South America, but the Aegyptosaurus size was much smaller in comparison.

How many bones did an Aegyptosaurus have?

The exact bone count of the Aegyptosaurus skeleton is not known. It was described by fossils of a shoulder and a few limb bones as well as three vertebrae. They were kept in Munich and were destroyed by a bombing raid during the Second World War.

How did they communicate?

No information on the communication behavior of this dinosaur has been studied or described.

How big was an Aegyptosaurus? 

These Aegyptosaurus dinosaurs of Egypt were Titanosaurian, which means it was a larger dinosaur of its time and indeed it was one of the biggest creatures that ever lived. The length of this dinosaur is estimated at 49 ft (15 m), which is almost two times the length of a killer whale.

How fast could an Aegyptosaurus move?

Most Sauropods couldn't move very fast due to their enormous body mass which was not balanced due to the combination of short legs, a long neck, and a long tail. Their top speed would be estimated at just under 5 mph (2 m/s) which is around four times slower than the black mamba.

How much did an Aegyptosaurus weigh?

Their massive size and body mass made up a significant amount of weight, especially because their bones were hollow and filled with air sacs. The Aegyptosaurus weight was said to have been a whopping 15,400 lb (7,000 kg) which is more than four times the weight of a hippopotamus.

What were the male and female names of the species?

The male and female share a common name, the Aegyptosaurus.

What would you call a baby Aegyptosaurus?

The young dinosaur of this genus would be called a juvenile.

What did they eat?

The Aegyptosaurus was a herbivore with a broad plant diet consisting mainly of foliage.

Were they aggressive?

Sauropods were not known to be particularly aggressive but were able to defend themselves with their thick and long tail. Some were even known to be able to crack it like a whip to create a sonic boom as a way of warning predators.

Did you know...

Titanosaurs are the largest members of the Sauropoda clade.

Why is it called the Aegyptosaurus?

The Aegyptoasurus was named after Egypt where it was discovered by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer. It means 'Egyptian lizard'.

What was the purpose of the Aegyptosaurus' tail?

Based on fossils, the purpose of the tail of the Aegyptosaurus dinosaur was, besides acting as a counterweight to its long neck, a mode of defense with which the Aegyptosaurus could whip at or club an opponent or deter an enemy with a sonic boom produced when the tail was cracked like a whip.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Achelousaurus facts and Wuerhosaurus facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Aegyptosaurus coloring pages.

Image one by Artwork: T. Tischler, Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History.

Image two by Nobu Tamura (http://spinops.blogspot.com).