Fun Amphicoelias Facts For Kids

Chandrayan Choudhury
Jan 19, 2023 By Chandrayan Choudhury
Originally Published on Sep 30, 2021
Edited by Katherine Cook
They were land roaming sauropod dinosaurs that ate plants

The name Amphicoelias means 'dinosaur that is biconcave on both sides'. Amphicoelias dinosaurs were several feet long in genus sauropods who lived during the late Jurassic period around 150 million years ago in the Morrison Formation in North America.

From the Amphicoelias altus fossils, it is said that they were one of the largest terrestrial animals to ever live on this planet. Newly found Amphicoelias fragillimus length is comparatively smaller. The discovery of the Amphicoelias dinosaur took place in 1877.

This was just a small description. For more information read the full article. We have interesting and funny facts about this dinosaur in the description below.

For more relevant articles, read Ludodactylus facts and Caviramus facts for kids.

Amphicoelias Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Amphicoelias'?

Amphicoelias pronunciation might be a bit tough. Amphicoelias is pronounced as 'Am fi ceal lius'. Amphicoelias were several feet long sauropod dinosaurs, very much similar to Diplodocus in size. These sauropods were herbivorous and inhibited the Earth during the Late Jurassic period. Amphicoelias bones were found near Colorado.

What type of dinosaur was an Amphicoelias?

According to their fossils, Amphicoelias were herbivorous dinosaurs from the Late Jurassic period. They were inhabitants of this world around 150 million years ago in the Tithonian age. They belonged to the dinosaur clade Saurischia, Sauropodomorpha, and Sauropoda.

They belonged to the superfamily Diplodocoidea and the family Diplodocidae. Their genus name was Amphicoelias and their scientific name was Amphicoelias altus. Amphicoelias fragillimus is the new species.

In which geological period did the Amphicoelias roam the Earth?

Amphicoelias fossils are preserved in the American Museum of Natural History. According to paleontologists, Amphicoelias dinosaurs were present on Earth during the Late Jurassic period around 150 million years ago.

When did the Amphicoelias become extinct?

Amphicoelias were several feet long sauropods. They were present on Earth during the later Jurassic period around 150 million years ago. This species would have gone extinct by the end of Jurassic period.

Where did an Amphicoelias live?

The Amphicoelias was a terrestrial animal species that were several feet long and tall. They were herbivorous reptiles that roamed around the North American continent. They would have inhabited forests, open land, and even marsh lands.

What was an Amphicoelias' habitat?

The Amphicoelias fossil collection was excavated from the city of Colorado in North America. We can say that giant Amphicoelias dinosaurs were inhabitants of North America and were found near Colorado.

Who did an Amphicoelias live with?

The Amphicoelias, like other sauropods such as the Camarasaurus or the Diplodocus, most probably lived in groups. They were land roaming sauropod dinosaurs that ate plants. We know that herbivore animals have this trait of living in groups to protect each other from predators. They were one of the largest dinosaur species that ever lived on earth.

How long did an Amphicoelias live?

As per the evidence, sauropod dinosaurs had an average lifespan of around 70-80 years in general. There is no correct information noted about their average lifespan. We have to assume that they also had an average lifespan of 70-80 years.

How did they reproduce?

Amphicoelias dinosaurs were herbivorous reptiles that existed in the continent of North America. They were enormous dinosaurs.

We know that reptiles reproduce by laying eggs, and it is believed that the Amphicoelias did the same too. We can assume that after their breeding season, they also would have laid eggs to summon their young ones to this world. How dinosaurs reproduced is a question that can't be answered accurately.

Amphicoelias Fun Facts

What did an Amphicoelias look like?

The Amphicoelias dinosaur species is described as enormous sauropods that existed in North America. They were several feet long and weighed several tons.

Their specimens were found in Colorado and are believed to be herbivorous dinosaurs. They had a typical sauropods body with a long neck, a long tail, a huge body, a small head, and four pillar-like strong legs. Though the fossil remains found were not complete, their figure can be estimated.

Their head was quite small in size and had no special features on it. They had a long vertebrae that started from their head and finished at the tip of their tail. Their neck was also quite thin but it was really long.

The Amphicoelias body was quite big and fat. The specimen of their dorsal vertebra was incomplete.

Their legs were very strong. Their hindlimbs were bigger than the forelimbs.

Their shoulder was a bit uplifted which gave their back bone a slope kind of projection. The average Amphicoelias size was similar to the Diplodocus and their body length is estimated around 130-200 ft (39.6-61 m) and weighed around 132 tons (11,9748 kg). They are known as one of the largest dinosaur species that ever lived on Earth.

How many bones did an Amphicoelias have?

The discovery of this diplodocid dinosaur, the Amphicoelias, was done in North America. The fossil remains that were collected were incomplete.

This is why predicting the exact number of bones present in the Amphicoelia's body is nearly impossible. Some bone pieces found during the excavation were a femur bone, one tooth, ulna bone, pubis, some back vertebra pieces, scapula, and the coracoid.

How did they communicate?

This diplodocid dinosaur Amphicoelias were plant-eating dinosaurs from the Late Jurassic period. We can assume that they would have communicated through a growling or screeching voice. Their exact voice texture is not known. They could have communicated through their own specific call.

How big was an Amphicoelias?

This diplodocid dinosaur Amphicoelias was one of the largest terrestrial animals, even bigger than the blue whale and weighed several tons. After studying their fossil, it was found that the Amphicoelias was around 130-200 ft (39.6-61 m) in length and 132 tons (11,9748 kg) in weight. They were discovered in North America.

How fast could an Amphicoelias move?

The Amphicoelias was a dinosaur species that was huge in size. They had heavy bones and that's why they could not display an agile behavior. In order to cope up with their size, they moved slowly and peacefully.

How much did an Amphicoelias weigh?

The Amphicoelias existed in North America and were discovered around Colorado. As per the evidence from the Amphicoelias skeleton (fossil), they were one of the largest dinosaurs that lived on this planet. Their length was around 130-200 ft (39.6-61 m) and their weight was around 132 tons (11,9748 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names given to the males and females of this species. They were a sauropod species commonly known as Amphicoelias.

What would you call a baby Amphicoelias?

Like all other baby dinosaurs, baby Amphicoelias are also known as hatchlings.

What did they eat?

The discovery of Amphicoelias dinosaurs took place in 1877. They were several feet long herbivorous sauropod dinosaur species who ate plants, leaves, fruits, and woodruff like flowering plants.

How aggressive were they?

Probably not. They were calm-natured dinosaurs that roamed around their habitats.

Did you know...

The type species Amphicoeliasm was described by Edward Drinker Cope. Edward Drinker Cope was an American naturalist, paleontologist, comparative anatomist, herpetologist, and ichthyologist.

The discovery of Amphicoelias took place in 1877 by Oramel Lucas. Oramel Lucas found the fossil (vertebra and some other pieces) near Colorado.

Which is the larger the blue whale or the Amphicoelias fragillimus?

The Amphicoelias size comparison is worth it. In the comparison between an Amphicoelias fragillimus vs blue whale, the Amphicoelias fragillimus is considered to be one of the largest species that ever lived on this planet. They were larger than even the humongous blue whale itself.

In terms of the Amphicoelias fragillimus vs Tyrannosaurus rex, Amphicoelias dinosaurs were bigger and probably stronger enough to tackle a Tyrannosaurus. But in the practical world, who knows!

Amphicoelias vs Argentinosaurus, Amphicoelias altus is counted in the largest animals list. However, the newly found species Amphicoelias fragillimus is comparatively smaller than the Argentinosaurus.

How many Amphicoelias fossils have been discovered?

Amphicoelias fossils have been found near Colorado in North America. Some of the bone pieces that were found were namely two vertebrae, one pubis, femur, tooth, scapula, coracoid, ulna, and one second femur.

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 Aardonyx facts, or Aquilops facts for kids.

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

Main image by ДиБгд

Second image by Mproart

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Written by Chandrayan Choudhury

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English Language and Literature

Chandrayan Choudhury picture

Chandrayan ChoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English Language and Literature

Skilled content writer Chandrayan has a passion for producing compelling and engaging content. With an excellent command of the English language and a talent for research and proofreading, Chandrayan has honed his skills through years of experience in the industry. Chandrayan is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature from Tripura University, demonstrating his dedication to the craft of writing. 

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