Fun Bobosaurus Facts For Kids

The historical biology and evolution of dinosaurs have baffled human minds. Bobosaurus forojuliensis was a new sauropterygian reptile with plesiosaurian connections. The phylogenetic analysis stated that it was a Pistosauroid.

The fossil of this species was discovered from the earliest Carnian age rocks. Both the genus and species name was given by Dalla Vecchia, 2006. Though the Bobosaurus fossil has been poorly studied it has greatly aided in forming theories about the basal plesiosaurian lineage and has confirmed that the earliest members were very different from the later ones.

This has solved the greatest mystery about plesiosaurians. This Italian taxon exhibits the evolution in the body of early plesiosaurians. It lived during the Triassic era.

 To know new information on Bobosaurus forojuliensis, continue reading and do check out our other articles on Scolosaurus and Ctenochasma.

Bobosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Bobosaurus'?

This species, belonging to the Bobosaurus genus, was named by Fabio M Dalla Vecchia in the year 2006 and is pronounced as 'bobo-saw-us'.

What type of dinosaur was a Bobosaurus?

Bobosaurus forojuliensis (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) was a new sauropterygian reptile with plesiosaurian similarities. Pitosaurus were a clade of marine reptiles that are known from less number of fossils.

In which geological period did the Bobosaurus roam the Earth?

It lived during the Early Carnian stage of the Late Triassic period. The Carnian era is the lowermost stage of the Triassic era.

When did the Bobosaurus become extinct?

Bobosaurus existed between the early to mid-Triassic ages. There are several theories relating to the extinction of dinosaurs in the Triassic period. The widely accepted one is the volcanic eruption theory. A set of volcanic eruptions caused the release of large amounts of methane.

This gave rise to increased sea levels and a combination of other climatic changes. Many of the dinosaur species were not adapt to these conditions and became extinct. Bobosaurus might be one of the dinosaurs that became extinct under such conditions.

Where did a Bobosaurus live?

The fossil of this sauropterygian reptile with plesiosaurian connections was excavated by Dalla Vecchia (2006) from an unnamed tributary of Ponruz Creek which is situated next to a small village of Gran Colle.

What was a Bobosaurus's habitat?

From fossil records, it is evident that this dinosaur stayed next to the river and other water sources where the chances of hunting prey were higher. The climate during the Early Triassic age was extreme. The summers were very hot while the winters were very cold. They also occupied well-sheltered and wooded regions to escape harsh winters.

Who did a Bobosaurus live with?

Similar to modern-day mammals they may have lived in groups. Though it is very unlikely for carnivorous dinosaurs to live in groups this species was probably an exception. One of the main reasons dinosaurs stayed in groups was to defend and protect themselves against predators.

How long did a Bobosaurus live?

The exact life span of this taxon that lived 232 million years ago is not known.

How did they reproduce?

Bobosaurus forojuliensis (Dalla Vecchia 2006) was oviparous and reproduced by laying eggs. The reproduction of dinosaurs is quite similar to that of modern-day reptiles. The male begins by depositing sperm. This would have resulted in the fertilization of eggs with embryos, followed by incubation and hatching. According to the references, most dinosaurs were quite attentive to their offspring.

Bobosaurus Fun Facts

What did a Bobosaurus look like?

How many bones did a Bobosaurus have?

The specimen's several parts of the skeleton were severely damaged. But scientists have been able to calculate certain things based on the fossil. It is not possible to compute the precise number of bones they had.

It can vary between species as a result of adaptation and evolution. Dinosaurs, in general, might have had as many as 200 bones, which is approximately equal to the number of bones a human has.

Estimations state that Bobosaurus might have had many cervical bones between 49-51 along with the pectoral vertebrae. It might have had 19 cervical ribs. Due to the heavily damaged skull, there is no information on the teeth arrangement.

How did they communicate?

Dinosaurs did not use any modern-day technology to connect with each other. They only relied on their voice and vision. They communicated by emitting sounds which varied depending on the nature or situation.

When in danger or while hunting they emitted high-pitched growls. The rest of the time the sounds might have ranged from medium pitched hoots to low pitched coos. They probably used their fighting skills to impress their mates and other body gestures to convey messages.

How big was a Bobosaurus?

The head to tail length of bobosaurus was 40-50 ft (12-15m). It was 10 times bigger than an Atacamatitan.

How fast could a Bobosaurus move?

Based on the relationship with Plesiosauria, Bobosaurus forojulensis might have been a marine reptile too. If they were marine reptiles they would have been pretty fast in the water. They had a few adaptations that helped them in water. Scientists still debate this topic, most of them speculate that these dinosaurs used movements similar to that of penguins.

How much did a Bobosaurus weigh?

It was a very heavy dinosaur. From the fossil remains, it is estimated that Bobosaurus weighed 30 tons (2715 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no sex-specific names for this species of dinosaur.

What would you call a baby Bobosaurus?

A baby Bobosaurus can be called a juvenile.

What did they eat?

They might have fed on aquatic animals like fish. A major part of their diet also consisted of squids and mollusks. What a dinosaur ate is known by studying the teeth' shape and dental structure. At times the dinosaur remains also consist of undigested remains of its prey.

How aggressive were they?

Not many of the behavioral patterns of Bobosaurus forojuliensis are known. Based on its similarities with plesiosaurs and other plesiosaurians we can say that they might have been aggressive.

Did you know...

Several arguments state that Pistosauridae must be a grade instead of a clade.

Most of the information of this species is based on the phylogenetic analysis by Benson. The analysis also stated that many of the plesiosaurian lineages were to be present in the lowermost Jurassic.

A very recent cladistic analysis states it was a Pistosauroid.

It has greatly helped in studying the unusual plesiosaurian body plan. It also provided strong evidence to the theory that early Jurassic plesiosaurian body evolution was a slow process.

Dalla Vecchia worked in the Institute Català de Paleontologia of Sabadell (Spain). He has written eight books on paleontology.

How many bones did a Bobosaurus have?

New information on the Bobosaurus specimen states that Bobosaurus might have had many cervical bones, between 49-51, along with the pectoral vertebrae. It might have had 19 cervical ribs.

Due to the heavily damaged skull, there is no information on the teeth arrangement. It is not possible to compute the precise number of bones they had.

It can vary between species as a result of adaptation and evolution. Dinosaurs, in general, might have had as many as 200 bones, which is approximately equal to the number of bones a human has.

How did Bobosaurus get their name?

The genus name of the new sauropterygian reptile, Bobosaurus forojuliensis was given to honor Roberto Bobo Rigo (Udine, Italy), the person who discovered the fossil. It was combined with the Greek word sauros meaning lizard.

The species name indicates the region from which the remains were excavated, Forum Julii of the Friulian part of the Region Friuli Venezia Giulia. Both the genus and species name was given by Dalla Vecchia.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our Pectinodon facts and Probactrosaurus facts for kids pages.

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

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