Fun Amygdalodon Facts For Kids

Dating back to the Middle Jurassic and almost 200 million years ago, Amygdalodon, meaning 'almond tooth', is one of the oldest known sauropod dinosaur genera found in South America. The genus consists of a single species, Amygdalodon patagonicus, which is also its type species. In 1936, its remains were recovered from the Cerro Carnerero Formation located in the Chubut province of Argentina in South America. These fossils included its ribs, some vertebrae, several partial and three complete teeth, a partial pelvis, and a shoulder blade. It is known from two separate specimens, as well as from a third individual, though that one is considered to be indeterminate by some scientists. It was described and given a name by A. Cabrera (1947) and is the very first sauropod dinosaur found in Argentina. The teeth of Amygdalodon dinosaurs are one of its most unique features, which separate it from other dinosaurs in the same clade. It was found to have almond or oval-shaped teeth, and its enamel had a wrinkling pattern that is often seen in eusauropods. The three complete teeth also had absolutely no denticles or serrations on them, which is rare in the case of sauropods. They were shown to be worn out due to tooth-tooth occlusion as well.

Sometime after it was discovered and given a name in 1947, it was considered to be an early sauropod and placed in the derived clade of Eusauropoda within the much larger clade of long-necked dinosaurs that is called Sauropoda. However, recently in 2018, it has been classified as a generic sauropod that is not a eusauropod.

If you want to read about other cool dinosaurs, check out our Agnosphitys fun facts and Hesperonychus fun facts pages.

How do you pronounce 'Amygdalodon'?

The name, Amygdalodon, meaning 'almond tooth', was given to this dinosaur in 1947 by A. Cabrera, and is phonetically pronounced as 'am-ig-dal-oh-don'.

What type of dinosaur was an Amygdalodon?

The Amygdalodon has been classified as a sauropod dinosaur, although earlier, it was thought to be a eusauropod. Members of Eusauropodia are considered to have been true sauropods and were very similar in appearance to generic sauropods, except for very few features like their teeth. Their tooth crowns had a wrinkled texture on them as opposed to many sauropods which did not have this feature on their teeth. However, the purpose of these wrinkles on their teeth is still unclear. In 2010, this dinosaur was classified as a generic sauropod. Like many others in the same clade, its diet would have consisted almost exclusively of plant material, and it would have had a large body length and weight, as well as had a long neck and four pillar-like legs that it would have walked on. Its tail is also thought to have been very long.

Amygdalodon patagonicus is one of the oldest of its kind found in South America and is even thought to have evolved way before the time of titanosaurs, many of which have been found from Argentina. This dinosaur was found to be very similar to the sauropod Isanosaurus, which was discovered in Thailand and found to have lived during the geological time period of the Late Jurassic. The teeth and skeletal features of Amygdalodon dinosaurs were also found to match those of Cetiosaurus, another sauropod that lived during the same time and was discovered in Europe.

In which geological period did the Amygdalodon roam the Earth?

The Amygdalodon, meaning 'almond tooth', is considered to be one of the first sauropods that existed in time. They were recovered from the Cerro Carnerero Formation in Argentina in the rock strata that dated back to almost 191-172 million years ago. They would have existed during the Pliensbachian stage of the Early Jurassic until the Aalenian stage of the Middle Jurassic.

When did the Amygdalodon become extinct?

Although there is no information available about exactly when Amygdalodon patagonicus went extinct and the reason behind it, the fossils of this dinosaur recovered from Argentina suggest that they would have existed within the time period of 191-172 million years ago, that is, during the Toarcian to Aalenian stage of the Middle Jurassic period. However, there is a lack of material regarding this genus and it is possible that they could have survived until the end of the Middle Jurassic period or even a time later than that.

Where did an Amygdalodon live?

The dinosaur Amygdalodon, meaning 'almond tooth', would have lived about 191-172 million years ago in what is now known as Argentina in South America.

What was an Amygdalodon's habitat?

About 200 million years ago, the Amygdalodon habitat would have been found in South America. The preferred Amygdalodon environment is thought to have been coastal where these dinosaurs would have roamed along rivers or on the beach looking for plants.

Who did an Amygdalodon live with?

Most dinosaurs belonging to Sauropoda are known to have formed herds. These herds were segregated on the basis of age in some sauropods. Herds in these dinosaur species either consisted of only adults or only juveniles. This is thought to be because of the difference in the diet of juveniles and adults. However, information regarding whether the Amygdalodon formed herds on the basis of age or not is currently unavailable. It would have also coexisted with other dinosaur species that had a herbivorous diet and lived during the Middle Jurassic in Argentina, South America.

How long did an Amygdalodon live?

Information on the life expectancy of this dinosaur is not available due to lack of research or evidence, but other sauropod dinosaurs such as the Diplodocus would have lived for about 70-80 years ago.

How did they reproduce?

This dinosaur, like all other members of Dinosauria, was oviparous and laid eggs instead of giving birth to live young. The incubation period in sauropod dinosaurs has been estimated to have been 65-82 days.

What did an Amygdalodon look like?

Amygdalodon, meaning 'almond tooth', was a giant dinosaur with a long and thick neck. It was a quadrupedal animal that walked on four stocky legs. Its tail is suspected to have been very long as well. Perhaps the most defining feature of this dinosaur was the structure of its teeth. According to the description of this dinosaur that Cabrera gave, in which he also gave it its name, it was noted that the animal had oval or almond-shaped teeth, which could have been somewhat sharp to effectively bite and chew on its plant-based diet. From the three well-preserved teeth that were recovered, it was found that their tooth crowns were asymmetrical. It did not have interlocking tooth-tooth occlusion, which is the way the teeth of the upper and lower jaws meet. The tooth crowns also lacked any denticles or serrations, but had a wrinkled pattern on them, a feature which is also seen in another dinosaur belonging to Sauropoda, Chinshakiangosaurus.

How many bones did an Amygdalodon have?

The total number of bones that Amygdalodon patagonicus would have had has not been quantified as only some fragments of its skeleton have been discovered at this point in time from the Amygdalodon site.

How did they communicate?

Though it is not known how this dinosaur communicated with others, it is possible that all dinosaurs would have used vocalizations or visual displays to communicate with other dinosaurs.

How big was an Amygdalodon?

The Amygdalodon patagonicus has been estimated to have had a body length of 39-50 ft (12-15 m). Although it had a relatively large length as a member of Dinosauria, this length would have made it one of the smaller sauropods, which are known for being extremely long with a maximum body length of more than 100 ft (32 m)!

How fast could an Amygdalodon move?

This dinosaur, like others of its kind, would have been a very slow dinosaur, probably because of its immense body length and weight. Argentinosaurus, a dinosaur belonging to Sauropoda, has been estimated to have a top speed of 5 mph (8 kph).

How much did an Amygdalodon weigh?

The weight of this dinosaur has been thought to have been 5.5 short tons (4.9 tons). This was about 10 times less than the weight of an average adult Puertasaurus.

What were the male and female names of the species?

There were no sex-specific names for the males and females of this species or genus.

What would you call a baby Amygdalodon?

Like all other dinosaurs, a baby Amygdalodon patagonicus would have been called a hatchling.

What did they eat?

The diet of this dinosaur was strictly herbivorous, and would have included conifers, cycads, and other plant material available where it lived during the Middle Jurassic period. Due to their long necks, they would have been able to cover a large area for feeding without needing to move their bodies.

How aggressive were they?

A dinosaur belonging to Sauropoda, such as Amygdalodon patagonicus, would not have been very aggressive. They had a herbivorous diet, and would not have had any reasons to be aggressive towards any other dinosaur. However, some dinosaurs in Sauropoda are known to have had armor or tail clubs to protect themselves from their predators.

Did you know...

Recently, it was discovered that though sauropods were quadrupedal, they had the ability to rear up on their two hind legs at times. Their tails would have acted as a third leg and helped them achieve a tripodal stance. This is also seen in modern animals like elephants, but sauropods are thought to have been even better at it than elephants.

What does the term Amygdalodon mean?

When A. Cabrera (1947) sought to name and describe this dinosaur in 1947, he noted that the fossils of its teeth were oval or almond-shaped. Cabrera (1947) gave the name Amygdalodon to this dinosaur and the Amygdalodon definition comes from the Greek language and translates to 'almond tooth'.

Is Amygdalodon a sauropod?

Yes, the Amygdalodon patagonicus is a sauropod dinosaur. In fact, it is considered to be one of the oldest sauropods found in South America. At the time when it was first described and given a name, it was considered to be a eusauropod, which are said to have been 'true sauropods'. Recently, these dinosaurs have been classified as belonging to the clade Sauropoda. Its fossils displayed properties similar to other sauropods, such as the fact that it was a giant dinosaur with a long neck and tail. The structure of its teeth and its herbivorous diet also resembled that of other sauropods.

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 Nemegtosaurus facts and Denversaurus facts for kids.

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

Main image by Levi Bernardo

Second image by Sento