Fun Eromangasaurus Facts For Kids

From the Lower Cretaceous period, many dinosaurs from both sea and land have proved to be of great help in several taxonomic clarifications. One such dinosaur from the sea is the Eromangasaurus australis. Only a holotype of this dinosaur is present in the Queensland Museum as their skull and fossil material are deeply crushed to a large extent. They lived around 103 million years ago, from the late Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous. They got their name from Sachs in 2005. He also named a second species which is known as Tuarangisaurus australis. The name Eromangasaurus is also a synonym for Tuarangisaurus australis, or they can be also known as the neighboring species to the earlier dinosaur as said by P Kear.

This dinosaur type comes under the Plesiosauria genera and they have two synonyms, the top priority is given to the name Eromangasaurus australis, the second is given to Tuarangisaurus australis. Later on, studies by P Kear revealed that the holotype of both specimens is very different and the genus name Tuarangisaurus australis cannot be placed in the same genus as Eromangasaurus. This led to a further taxonomic clarification between different dinosaur species from the Lower Cretaceous time.

To learn more about such exciting animals make sure to check out our fact pages on the Liopleurodon and Libonectes.

Was the Eromangasaurus a dinosaur?

The Eromangasaurus australis is known as the king of oceans from the Early Cretaceous time. This Plesiosauria genus is not known as a sea dinosaur rather they are put under a completely different taxonomic clarification of reptiles. They are very much related to the snakes and lizards of the current day according to the Queensland Museum.

How do you pronounce 'Eromangasaurus'?

The Eromangasaurus is sometimes known as a new elasmosauridae dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous time period, as the fossil material and studies on the various specimen by Sachs and P Kear confirms this. It's very easy to pronounce the name of this sister genus of Tuarangisaurus australis, the pronunciation of this dinosaur from the order Plesiosauria is 'EROMAN-ga-SAURUS'.

What type of marine reptile was an Eromangasaurus?

The skull fibers of Eromangasaurus australis reveal a lot about their taxonomic clarification and where they are currently in the genus group. They are found to be a member of the group Plesiosauria, which is a group of marine reptiles that no longer exists. The specimen is also from plesiosaurs.

In which geological period did the Eromangasaurus live?

Studies and research on the fossil material of the elasmosauridae family reveal that they are from the Lower Cretaceous time period. This marine reptile elasmosauridae family is found to have been living during the Albian stage of the Lower Cretaceous period.

When did the Eromangasaurus become extinct?

A lot of information about this dinosaur is given in the Queensland Museum, the Eromangasaurus australis, and their sister species Tuarangisaurus australis became extinct around the Late Cretaceous period. They are found to have lived around 103 million years ago according to Sachs and P Kear.

Where did an Eromangasaurus live?

The elasmosauridae family is known to be from the northern Queensland side of Australia. They are known as slow swimming creatures that can travel very long distances. Fossil remains and materials such as their skull can be found in the Queensland Museum.

What was an Eromangasaurus' habitat?

The Eromangasaurus and the sister genus, Tuarangisaurus australis lived in the depths of the oceans. They are not dinosaurs, rather a kind of marine reptiles that are under the Plesiosauria group. They lived under the sea. The depth range is yet not known, but they are known to live deep in the ocean.

Who did an Eromangasaurus live with?

Sachs and P Kear believe that the elasmosauridae family or Plesiosauria clade lived together with their partners in order to avoid being hunted down by predators. It is possible that the Eromangasaurus might have lived with their partner during the breeding period and then roamed alone, the same can be said about Tuarangisaurus australis. Modern-day animals reflect a lot of the features of dinosaurs such as their skull size and other such features. Reptiles such as sea snakes and copperhead snakes are very much like this reptile from the Lower Cretaceous period.

How long did an Eromangasaurus live?

The fossil material discovered including the skull and mandible which today rest in the Queensland Museum is not enough for sufficient research because they are badly crushed. Researchers such as Sachs and P Kear believe that the family Elasmosauridae have a lifespan of around 18-20 years, the same applies for Tuarangisaurus australis. The exact climate inhabited still needs more research.

How did they reproduce?

Reproduction among the Eromangasaurus is the same as modern-day sea reptiles. The Plesiosauria genus laid eggs and then both parents took part in young parental care like any other species from the Elasmosauridae clade.

What did an Eromangasaurus look like?

The Eromangasaurus from the Elasmosauridae clade that existed during the Lower Cretaceous period had long necks, along with large broad bodes. They had four flippers to help them to swim deep in the ocean. The specimen found from the late Triassic period is a bit larger compared to those from the Lower Cretaceous period due to evolution. The Elasmosauridae family thrived during the late Jurassic period and was Cretaceous, surviving for over 140 million years. They had a short tail and their skull design is very complex with the posterior part of the skull consisting of various vertebrae. They were initially under the genus woolungasaurus like many other dinosaurs in the Queensland Museum. Later studies on their skull placed them in the Elasmosauridae clade and a different genus.

How many bones did an Eromangasaurus have?

According to scientists such as Sachs, marine reptiles such as Tuarangisaurus australis had very few bones. They had around 10-12 bones, some also argue that they had five bones, whereas the Apatosaurus had three bones.

How did they communicate?

According to Sachs, they communicated through their tail or vocal calls.

How big was an Eromangasaurus?

Their size changed drastically from the Triassic to the Cretaceous period. They are around 9-10 times bigger than a Chinese alligator and around five to six times larger than a whale shark.

How fast could an Eromangasaurus move?

They were slow swimming creatures. They could not swim very fast, but they could travel long distances.

How much did an Eromangasaurus weigh?

An Eromangasaurus weighed around 800 lb (360 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

Both male and female Eromangasaurus dinosaurs had the same name.

What would you call a baby Eromangasaurus?

A baby Eromangasaurus can be called either a nestling or a hatchling.

What did they eat?

They used their neck to catch prey and they generally fed on small creatures from the sea such as fish or squids.

How aggressive were they?

They were aggressive when hunting for prey.

Did you know...

They were first found in the inland seas of Australia.

Where were the Eromangasaurus' bones found?

Exact information is not known, but their bones are revered from Australia, including their skull.

How many species does the Eromangasaurus have?

Only one species can be noted under the genus Eromangasaurus.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly prehistoric animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our Revueltosaurus fun facts and Piatnitzkysaurus facts for kids.

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

Main image by Nobu Tamura

Second image by FunkMonk (Michael B. H.)