Fun Cathartesaura Facts For Kids

The Cathartesaura is a Rebbachisaurid Sauropod genus dinosaur. This genus is said to have existed during the Late Cretaceous era. They roamed around the Earth about 97–93 million years ago. The type species coming under this genus is the Cathartesaura anaerobica.

Cathartesaura fossil remains, unearthed at the Huincul formation, were described in the year 2005 by Gallina and Apesteguía. The fossil consisted of only a partial skeleton, which also included limb bones and vertebrae. Remains were unearthed at the base of the Huincul formation, between sandstone and mudstone levels. This level spans the Coniacian and Cenomanian epochs.

The name of this genus is quite similar to that of the turkey vulture, which is also known as the Cathartes aura.

We are absolutely sure you are completely thrilled to read about the Cathartesaura! For more relatable content, check out these Chungkingosaurus facts and Chilantaisaurus facts for kids.

How do you pronounce 'Cathartesaura'?

The Cathartesaura name is pronounced as 'kaf-art-e-sore-rah'.

What type of dinosaur was a Cathartesaura?

The Cathartesaura is a type of Rebbachisaurid Sauropod.

In which geological period did the Cathartesaura roam the Earth?

The Cathartesaura was known to exist in the world during the Late Cretaceous period, between the Cenomanian and Coniacian epochs.

When did the Cathartesaura become extinct?

We do not have information on the extinction of the Cathartesaura.

Where did a Cathartesaura live?

Fossil remains of the Cathartesaura were discovered at the La Buitrera locality. The exact location is the Huincul formation situated in the Neuquén Basin, which is located in the Río Negro province of Argentina.

What was a Cathartesaura's habitat?

We do not have many references about the Cathartesaura habitat to know their exact environment.

The family Rebbachisauridae is a group of Sauropods that have been known by existing fossil remains belonging to the Cretaceous era. Most of these fossil remains have been discovered across a wide range, extending across North America, Central Asia, South America, Africa, and even Europe.

Who did a Cathartesaura live with?

We could not find any data on who the Cathartesaura lived with. They might have been solitary in nature or lived in groups.

How long did a Cathartesaura live?

We could not find studies related to the lifespan of this Rebbachisauridae species.

How did they reproduce?

There is not much information on the reproductive behavior of Rebbachisauridae family members. It is not known if they took care of their babies. The only information described is that they reproduced by laying eggs.

What did a Cathartesaura look like?

The physical description of the Cathartesaura has been derived from fossil remains. This is a medium-sized dinosaur. It has a long, well-muscled neck which seemed to have limited range in the dorsoventral movement.

The Cathartesaura anaerobica has many distinguishing features in its vertebrae that pretty much ally with members of the Rebbachisauridae family. Some of these characteristics include pneumatic chambers present within the cervical series as well as bony laminae association.

How many bones did a Cathartesaura have?

Paleontologists could find only a partial skeleton of this species belonging to the Late Cretaceous period. The exact range of bones this dinosaur might have had hasn't been determined yet.

How did they communicate?

We have not found any information on the way this dinosaur species communicated.

How big was a Cathartesaura?

The size range of the Cathartesaura is 55.8 ft (17 m) in length and 19.7 ft (6 m) tall.

How fast could a Cathartesaura move?

With this species having a big body, it can be assumed that they moved slowly.

How much did a Cathartesaura weigh?

The weight of this dinosaur of Argentina was 33,069.3 lb (15,000 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for males and females of the Cathartesaura genus.

What would you call a baby Cathartesaura?

You can call a baby Cathartesaura a hatchling.

What did they eat?

The Cathartesaura diet mainly consisted of plants and other natural vegetation which were a part of its habitat.

Predatory threats to the Cathartesaura genus must have come from other carnivore dinosaurs, such as Abelisaurids, which include the Ilokelesia and the Skorpiovenator, and Carcharodontosaurids like the Mapusaurus.

How aggressive were they?

Unfortunately, there is no description of the behavior of these members of the Rebbachisauridae family. As they were herbivores in nature, they might have been less aggressive and displayed territorial aggression.

Did you know...

The generic name of the Cathartesaura genus is formed by the combination of the words ‘Cathartes’ and ‘saura’. Cathartes is the New World genus of vulture, while ‘saura’ comes from the Greek word ‘sauros’, which translated to ‘lizard’. This name is also a juxtaposition of the terms in the scientific name of the large North American bird, turkey vulture, also known as Cathartes aura. The Spanish name of this North American bird, buitre, was named after the locality where fossil remains were discovered, mainly due to the abundance of these birds in the locality.

The specific name, anaerobica, was entitled in honor of ‘Anaeróbicos’, an adhesive company hailing from Argentina, which provided all laboratory support and field support for the extraction, and handling as well as preparation of these fossils.

The Huincal formation of South America’s country of Argentina is the same formation of the other dinosaur species, the Argentinosaurus. This colossal Titanosaur is many times larger than the Cathartesaura.

There are 10 subgroups under the Rebbachisauridae family: the Amazonsaurus, the Comahuesaurus, the Dzharatitanis, the Histriasaurus, the Lavocatisaurus, the Maraapunisaurus, the Nopcsaspondylus, the Xenoposeidon, the Zapalasaurus, and the Khebbashia.

Of all the New World vultures, the turkey vulture is the most widespread vulture. It has many names, such as the buzzard, the turkey buzzard, the carrion crow, and even the John crow.

Some of the dinosaurs found in Argentina include the Chubutisaurus, the Coloradisaurus, the Eoraptor, the Gasparinisaura, the Giganotosaurus, the Herrerasaurus, the Argentinosaurus, the Aucasaurus, the Brachytrachelopan, the Buitreraptor, the Carnotaurus, and the Unenlagia.

Why is it called the turkey buzzard?

The turkey vulture is quite often called the turkey buzzard. The term buzzard has been used mainly by North Americans to refer to this bird. Buzzard is also a general term used by the British to refer to large birds like vultures and hawks.

The Cathartes aura is known to lack a syrinx, which is a vocal organ present in birds. Thus, the only sounds made by this North American bird include low hisses and grunts. The Cathartes aura is the main type species of the genus Cathartes. Other birds falling under this genus include the Cathartes burrovianus and the Cathartes melambrotus. The genus name, Cathartes, comes from the Greek term καθαρτής. This term translates to 'purifier', which is an indication of the role of these North American vultures as 'cleansers' because they feed on corpses.

Ever seen an adult turkey? The turkey vulture has been named from its resemblance to a male wild turkey. The turkey vulture is seen with a bald red head over a dark brown-black plumage, which resembles the turkey bird. The turkey vulture is said to not be closely related to Old World vultures from Asia, Africa, and Europe. However, these birds resemble each other, having similar anatomy plans and living in similar conditions.

What adaptations do the Cathartesaura have?

This herbivore dinosaur had a long neck so that it could reach its food at a high range. This also limited its dorsalventral movement but provided better mobility to the torso. It is also said to have had spiny vertebrae which might have helped them store liquid and fat like present-day camels.

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

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

Main image by Levi bernardo.

Second image by FunkMonk (Michael B. H.).

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