Fun Alamosaurus Facts For Kids

The Alamosaurus was a large dinosaur that belonged to the group of dinosaurs called sauropods. These herbivores had a long neck and tail and the remains of the Alamosaurus were found in Big Bend National Park. These dinosaur sauropods lived in North America in the Late Cretaceous period, somewhere around 105 million years ago.

These sauropods of great length are believed to be named after the Ojo Alamo Sandstone Formation or the Kirtland Formation in New Mexico. Apart from this formation, Alamosaurus fossils have been discovered in Utah and Wyoming.

These dinosaurs were migratory and from their natural history, it is evident that they might have traveled from parts of South America to North America.

This is evident from the fact that Alamosaurus belonged to the family of Saltasauridae that was commonly found in South America. From their earlier discovery, they were classified among the family of Titanosaurid.

These dinosaurs were even called by the name Alamo lizard. The paleontologist Charles Whitney Gilmore named them in 1922.

However, the credit for the discovery of this sauropod dinosaur in 1921 can be given to scientists Charles Whitney Gilmore, John Bernard Reeside, and Charles Hazelius Sternberg. The fossils and remains of the Alamosaurus skeleton and bones from the Upper Cretaceous period have been stored in the Perot Museum of Natural History in Texas.

If you enjoy reading this article about long-necked dinosaurs, then do read some interesting and surprising fun facts about other dinosaurs such as the Haplocanthosaurus and Shunosaurus.

Alamosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Alamosaurus'?

The pronunciation of the word Alamosaurus is 'al-ah-moe-sore-us'.

What type of dinosaur was an Alamosaurus?

The Alamosaurus was a large sauropod clade within Dinosauria, Saurischia, Sauropodomorpha, Sauropoda, Macronaria, Titanosauria and belongs to the family Saltasauridae. The type species of the genus Alamosaurus is Alamosaurus sanjuanensis.

The name Alamosaurus is after the Ojo Alamo Formation of New Mexico. From their specimens, it is known that they lived in North America, and the search of their remains produced bones from the Ojo Alamo Formation.

In which geological period did the Alamosaurus roam the earth?

The Alamosaurus roamed around the earth during the Late Cretaceous period of the Maastrichtian age, i.e. about 105 million years ago and 65-70 million years ago.

When did the Alamosaurus become extinct?

The Alamosaurus was believed to be extinct 105 million years ago in the Upper Cretaceous period and reappeared again in North America in the Late Cretaceous period, around 30-40 million years and 65-70 million years ago.

Where did the Alamosaurus live?

The Alamosaurus lived in the North American land of the Late Cretaceous period. Their fossil specimens can be dated back to 105 million years ago.

The fossils were discovered from North American areas including the Big Bend National Park Formation, New Mexico, the North Horn Formation of Utah, the Black Peaks, and the El Picacho and Javelina Formations of Texas and Wyoming. The specimens were also discovered in the Ojo Alamo Sandstone Formation or Kirtland Formation.

These Alamosaurus sanjuanensis were migratory dinosaurs. The fossils of an Alamosaurus skeleton from the Upper Cretaceous period have been stored in the Perot Museum.

What was the Alamosaurus' habitat?

According to some scientists, the Alamosaurus sanjuanensis was a migratory dinosaur and so its habitat would have varied and across different regions. The massive Alamosaurus may have lived in the woodland regions of North America with low and high lying vegetation as they were large dinosaurs and herbivores on the basis of their food habits.

The habitat might have varied according to the region they lived in.

Who did the Alamosaurus live with?

The Alamosaurus were migratory and traveled from South America to North American land. The sauropods Alamosaurus of North America lived in a herd or group of 1000. The group consisted of adults and juveniles.

How long did an Alamosaurus live?

The massive long-necked Alamosaurus lived around 105 million years ago and disappeared, but then they reappeared in North America with a gap of 30-40 million years, and from that time period they are believed to be from the Late Cretaceous period of 65-70 million years ago.

How did they reproduce?

These Alamosaurus dinosaurs were gigantic sauropods who reproduced by laying eggs and mating. The bony armor on the body of the dinosaur might have been used to lure the female to mate.

The paleontologist Charles Whitney Gilmore also gave the theory that these dinosaurs were oviparous and laid eggs in clutches, and the female was prominent in the parental care of the juvenile or hatchlings.

Alamosaurus Facts

What did Alamosaurus look like?

The Alamosaurus was a very long dinosaur in comparison to the other sauropods. The Alamosaurus's neck was the longest and the animal must have kept the long neck parallel to the ground in search of low-lying vegetation.

The long tail of these sauropods must have been used as a whip to protect themselves from predators. The colors must have varied from black to brown, and green to gray.

The heads of these Alamo lizards were small and not long in comparison to their bodies. These Alamosaurus discovered in New Mexico, North America, were quadrupedal and had four thick legs with claws on each toe of each leg.

They had bony armor on the back of their vertebrae near their long neck. The giant dinosaur was massive and huge, according to their discovery.

How many bones did an Alamosaurus have?

The complete number of bones of the Alamosaurus has not been estimated, and from the specimens found it is not possible to know the total number of bones in these giant dinosaurs with long tails and necks. The cervical vertebrae and partial pelvic bone of adults were discovered and are stored in the Perot Museum of Texas.

How did they communicate?

The large Alamosaurus may have communicated using tactile, vocal, and chemical cues like most of the other sauropods. They must have used different ways to communicate with each other in different situations, such as when in danger, they could have used their vocals and chemical senses. 

How big was the Alamosaurus?

The Alamosaurus size can be imagined if you visit the Perot Museum of Texas. The Alamosaurus skeleton display is complete and huge, like the dinosaurs of the Jurassic period. These large dinosaurs were 60-70 ft (18-21 m) in length and 25-26 ft (7.6-7.9 m) in height.

How fast could an Alamosaurus move?

According to paleontologists, the large Alamosaurus's moving speed has not been estimated and is unknown to the world. Due to their heavy weight, they must have been slow runners in comparison to other Jurassic and Cretaceous period sauropods. 

How much did an Alamosaurus weigh?

The Alamosaurus fossils discovered were very large. The Alamosaurus weighed around 50-70 tons (4,5359-6,3503 kg). They weighed exactly the same as the tallest dinosaur, Sauroposeidon.

What were the male and female names of the species?

The male and female species of Alamosaurus were known by their common names and no specific name was given to the animal.

What would you call a baby Alamosaurus?

The babies of the animal were called juvenile and hatchlings.

What did they eat?

These Alamosaurus dinosaurs were large dinosaurs that fed on herbivorous diets and plants such as palms, magnolias, and conifers. Their long, large neck would have allowed them to feed on a variety of plants, from sycamores to fern seeds. They had slender, blunt teeth, which helped them to chew different parts of plants very easily.

How aggressive were they?

There is not much information available with regard to them being aggressive dinosaurs or not. However, they must have been aggressive in the protection of their babies and territory. They could have used their long tail as a whip to defend themselves from predators.

Did you know...

The Alamosaurus from Big Bend National Park was at first classified as a Titanosaurid but had completely different features and specimens from them, and later on was related to Saltasaurus, who was also an armored dinosaur.

The Saltasaurus was a dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period and lived in Argentina and the southern parts of America. They were small sauropods with short necks and limbs. The Saltasaurus was known to have bony armor similar to the Alamosaurus dinosaurs.

The Alamosaurus was herbivorous and had blunt teeth for chewing plants. It is believed that they became extinct due to natural calamities, and one such could be a volcanic eruption or earthquake.

The adult Alamosaurus probably had predators, but there is little evidence that the large Tyrannosaurus rex would have preyed on them, specifically on juveniles or hatchlings.

The Tyrannosaurus rex was also known as the king of the tyrant lizards, with a muscular body of 40 ft (12 m) long from snout to tail. They were very aggressive and territorial and often fed on the flesh of other animals.

They lived in North America and dwelled in river valleys and forest areas. The dinosaur weighed around 7.5 tons (6,804 kg) and had a huge powerful head.

A meal was equal to 220.5 lb (100 kg) of the flesh of animals. With research and studies, it is evident that these dinosaurs had a life expectancy of 28 years.

Why are they called Alamosaurus?

The Alamosaurus was named after the Ojo Alamo Sandstone Formation or the Kirtland Formation in New Mexico. In Big Bend National Park and the Ojo Alamo Sandstone Formation in North America, fossils of bones were discovered. They were even called the Alamo lizards.

Who discovered Alamosaurus?

The scientists named Charles Whitney Gilmore, John Bernard Reeside, and Charles Hazelius Sternberg discovered the large and long-necked neck animals in 1921. The Alamosaurus weighed in tons. From their history, it is evident that they were large Saltasauridae dinosaurs who lived in North America.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other animals from our Tastavinsaurus facts, or Aetonyx facts for kids.

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