Fun Brasilotitan Facts For Kids

Brasilotitan (Brasilotitan nemophagus) is a sauropod dinosaur that existed about 86 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period. Its fossil was excavated from Brazil in the Adamantina Formation, near São Paulo State. Very little information has been obtained from the vertebrae, limbs, and jawbones. The mandible displayed an l shaped morphology with a twisted dentition pattern, a characteristic unique to this species of Titanosaur. The remains of this dinosaur confirm the fact that the Brasilotitan was not a basal or a derived species of Titanosauria. Rather, they shared a close similarity with the Bonitasaura salgadoi and the Antarchtosaurus, with respect to the lower jaw pattern.

The unearthing of this new species showcases the diverse Titanosaurs that were present in Brazil. According to the journal 'A new titanosaur sauropod from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil', published by S. Avilla, William R. Nava, the Titanosaur Brasilotitan nemophagus was herbivore in nature and foraged on a variety of plants. Their anatomy was similar to that of other sauropodomorphs-bulky bodies with long necks. Their skeletal bones, which were excavated, comprised two cervical vertebrae, three partially complete sacral vertebrae, a right dentary, and fragments of ischium, ilium, ungual. Therefore, the research on this dinosaur was incomplete. Keep on reading to know more interesting facts about this dinosaur.

If you liked reading this article, then do check out Paluxysaurus and Shunosaurus facts, here on Kidadl.

How do you pronounce 'Brasilotitan'?

It is pronounced as 'Bras-i-lo-ti-tan'.

What type of dinosaur was a Brasilotitan?

The Brasilotitan was a sauropod dinosaur that can be grouped under the Titanosaurus clade.

In which geological period did the Brasilotitan roam the earth?

These sauropod dinosaurs roamed the Earth during the Late Cretaceous period. Several other dinosaurs like the Achelousaurus, Albertaceratops, and the Alectrosaurus lived during this period.

When did Brasilotitan become extinct?

This dinosaur became extinct about 86 million years ago. Natural calamities like a forest fire, rise in sea level, volcanic eruptions, etc led to their extinction. Other reasons, like their inability to adapt and radiate to other climatic zones, and the predatory dinosaurs, contributed to their extinction as well.

Where did Brasilotitan live?

The fossils of the early Brasilotitan were excavated from the Adamantina Formation of Brazil.

What was the Brasilotitan' habitat?

This sauropod dinosaur must have lived in the forests with dense vegetation, grasslands as well as woodlands. They foraged on a variety of plants in these lush green vegetation.

Who did Brasilotitan live with?

Based on the holotype of this species, we are unable to determine their social behavior. But, just like other sauropods, the Brasilotitan dinosaur could have lived a solitary life or foraged in small groups.

How long did a Brasilotitan live?

The exact lifespan of these herbivorous dinosaurs is not known. However, we can assume that they may have lived for an average period of about 20-30 years, just like other dinosaurs of the Dinosauria clade.

How did they reproduce?

While the remains of this species do not provide sufficient information on their reproductive behavior, we do know that dinosaurs of titanosuaria clade reproduced by laying gigantic eggs, which were amniotic in nature. The developing embryo-derived all the nourishment from these amniotic eggs.

What did the Brasilotitan look like?

Brasilotitan remains were partial and therefore, we do not have much data on the anatomy of this dinosaur. Their skeletal remains comprised sacral and cervical vertebrae along with the lower jawbones. This highlights the presence of an l-shaped mandible, and also the cervical vertebral intraprezygapophyseal laminae was found to be v-shaped in dorsal view. The dentary symphyseal contact was slightly twisted. This particular characteristic was unique to this new species of dinosaurs. Apart from this, the remains of the pelvic region along with one ungual, have also been retrieved. Their anatomy had similarities with that of the titanosauria dinosaurs, but this fact does not prove them to be a derived or a basal titanosauria species. The dentary symphyseal contact of their lower jaw and the bones of their pelvic region displayed their close association to the Bonitasaura (Bonitasaura salgadoi). As they were sauropods, we can assume that they possessed a bulky body with a long neck and a small head.

How many bones did a Brasilotitan have?

Due to the excavation of their partial skeletal remains, we do not have the information on their exact number of bones. Only the sacral and cervical vertebrae, which had the intraprezygapophyseal laminae v-shaped in dorsal side, the bones of the jaw, and the limbs were unearthed. This highlights that they had a heavily-built body and long neck, just like other sauropod dinosaurs.

How did they communicate?

Although there is no record of their communication skills, the titanosaur Brasilotitan nemophagus, may have produced grunts and cracked calls. They may have communicated both vocally and visually.

How big was the Brasilotitan?

The Brasilotitan size is not known as of now, due to incomplete skeletal remains. However, we can assume that these dinosaurs were robust, a characteristic, which was present in most sauropod dinosaurs of that age. Their neck was long with the presence of a scaly tail. They may have intimidated predatory dinosaurs with their bulky body. It was way bigger than an Oculudentavis khaungraae.

How fast could a Brasilotitan move?

The Brasilotitan was a sauropod and hence, possessed a bulky body. From this particular fact, we can conclude that they were not good runners. Their exact walking speed is unknown.

How much did a Brasilotitan weigh?

Due to a lack of information, the weight of these dinosaurs is not yet estimated by paleontologists. However, considering their robust body, a feature of all sauropods, we can assume that their weight was way more than the Bambiraptor and the Sinosauropteryx.

What were the male and female names of the species?

No specific names are given to the male and female dinosaur species.

What would you call a baby Brasilotitan?

Dinosaurs were egg-laying animals. Thus, a baby dinosaur can be called a hatchling or a nestling.

What did they eat?

Brasilotitan were herbivorous dinosaurs and foraged on a variety of plants in the forests. Their lower jaw and dentition pattern suggests this type of diet that they followed.

How aggressive were they?

These dinosaurs were plant-eaters and belonged to the Sauropoda clade. Therefore, it is safe to assume that they were not aggressive in nature. However, they were capable to ward off their predators due to their heavily-built bodies.

Did you know...

The genus name of Brasilotitan nemophagus has been derived from the ancient Greek terms, némos, meaning 'pasture', and phagos, meaning 'to eat'. This refers to their herbivorous diet. The holotype of this species, suggests that they had about fourteen teeth sockets in their jaws, which shared a similarity with the species of Bonitasaura salgadoi. However, the cervical of these two species was different in structure. A study on this specimen made a discovery on their theropod teeth type, which they might have used for scavenging as well.

Why are they called Brasilotitan?

The name Brasilotitan means giant lizard of Brazil. Their remains were first excavated from Brazil and due to their robust body with large tails, they are named Brasilotitan.

How many specimens of Brasilotitan were discovered?

Only a single specimen of Brasilotitan is discovered by the paleontologists in the São Paulo State of Brazil.

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 Nigersaurus facts, or Abydosaurus facts for kids.

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

*We've been unable to source an image of Brasilotitan and have used a sketch of a herbivorous dinosaur instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Brasilotitan, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected].