Fun Euskelosaurus Facts For Kids

The Euskelosaurus is a species of the Late Triassic period that became extinct during the Triassic Jurassic extinction event. The age of extinction of these dinosaurs can be estimated from the age of the sedimentary layers in which their remains are found.

They were one of the largest herbivore dinosaurs that occurred in the Elliot Formation in South Africa and Lesotho. All the species of dinosaurs that were a part of the Sauropodomorpha clade in the Early Jurassic and Late Triassic period belonged to the clade of plateosaurids.

The species of the sauropods were Saurichins and they belonged to the order Saurischia. Being a sauropod, the Euskelosaurus was also of the order Saurischia.

The specific name of the genus holotype, Euskelosaurus browni commemorates the actual discoverer of the dinosaur fossil. Alfred Brown was an English paleontologist that discovered the remains of many dinosaurs in the Eliot Formation of Southern Africa and South Africa.

One type of fossil was recognized to be the fossil of a Euskelosaurus and their specific name was kept and Euskelosaurus browni after Alfred Brown.

The name was suggested by Thomas Henry Huxley who described the species for the first time in 1866. To know more about these dinosaurs, keep on reading these amazing facts.

For similar content, check out Protohadros and Spinostropheus facts too.

Euskelosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Euskelosaurus '?

The Euskelosaurus is a genus of large and early dinosaurs that existed during the Late Triassic age. The name Euskelosaurus is pronounced as 'Yew-skel-o-sore-us' in English. The name of this South African dinosaur has Greek origin and it translates to good leg lizard.

What type of dinosaur was a Euskelosaurus?

The Euskelosaurus (good leg lizard) of Africa was an early dinosaur of the Late Triassic period. It was a type of plateosaurid Sauropodomorpha that preceded the evolution of many future species of Sauropodomorpha.

It was a prosauropod from which many other sauropods evolved in the future during the later stages of the Triassic and early stages of the Jurassic era.

Several other families from the clade of plateosaurid dinosaurs and many of them have been included under the genus Euskelosaurus. However, since its phylogeny is studied poorly, there is no evidence for most of the species regarding whether they belong to the same group.

In which geological period did the Euskelosaurus roam the earth?

The Euskelosaurus (good leg lizard) is a late Triassic prosauropod that lived near South Africa during the Norian and the Rhaetian geological period. They were one of the largest dinosaurs of that time and the discovery of such early dinosaurs played a major role in the development of the future sauropods in the Jurassic age.

These basal plateosaurid African dinosaurs were one of the earliest sauropods.

When did the Euskelosaurus become extinct?

The Euskelosaurus came into existence around 220 million years ago in the Norian stage and lasted for 15 million years on earth. Around 205 million years ago when the Rhaetian stage was still going on, they became extinct.

Where did a Euskelosaurus live?

The Euskelosaurus fossil was discovered from the Elliot Formation in South Africa, Botswana, and Lesotho. A remain was also recovered from Zimbabwe. Therefore, it is assumed that they occupied the southern parts of Africa in the Late Triassic epoch.

What was a Euskelosaurus's habitat?

The Euskelosaurus of the Saurischia order were extremely territorial in nature. These Late Triassic animals inhabited terrestrial habitats like forests and lived in herds. The exact environment they lived in is not known.

Who did a Euskelosaurus live with?

The characteristic habit of all prosauropods was that they lived in herbivore herds. Similarly, it is believed that the Euskelosaurus also lived in herds.

How long did a Euskelosaurus live?

The Euskelosaurus species lasted for 15 million years. They came into existence 220 million years ago and stayed up to 205 million years ago.

How did they reproduce?

Like all species of dinosaurs, the Euskelosaurus reproduced by laying eggs. The parents took care of the juveniles but there is no elaborate information about their reproductive behavior.

Euskelosaurus Fun Facts

What did a Euskelosaurus look like?

The Euskelosaurus was a large dinosaur that presumably lived around southern Africa in the Triassic epoch. From the very limited amount of remains it can be inferred that they had graviportal limbs like all large animals of the present times. The robust built made them one of the largest sauropods.

How many bones did a Euskelosaurus have?

The total number of bones present in the body of a Euskelosaurus is unknown. Only the limb bones and the vertebrae of the dinosaur have been discovered.

How did they communicate?

They mainly communicated by using vocalizations. They also had a well-developed visual sense that helped in communication.

How big was a Euskelosaurus?

The length of a Euskelosaurus ranges between 98-115 ft (30-35 m). They were twice the size of Janenschia.

How fast could a Euskelosaurus move?

The Euskelosaurus was an African dinosaur that had a huge body and was very heavy. Therefore, it can be assumed that they moved very slowly however, their speed is unknown.

How much did a Euskelosaurus weigh?

The Euskelosaurus was a large dinosaur, its weight ranged between 1.54-1.76 ton (1400-1600 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

A male and a female dinosaur do not have any particular name. Both of them are referred to as Euskelosaurus.

What would you call a baby Euskelosaurus?

A baby dinosaur is referred to as a nestling or hatchling.

What did they eat?

The Euskelosaurus was a herbivore genus that fed on plant matters. Since this African dinosaur is an early one, the particular types of plants that comprised its diet is unknown.

How aggressive were they?

The Euskelosaurus was a genus of herbivore dinosaurs. The herbivore species were naturally less aggressive than the flesh-eaters but since it was an early dinosaur their large size was frightening.

Did you know...

The Euskelosaurus is the earliest prosauropod that was discovered in Zimbabwe, Africa.

What does Euskelosaurus mean?

Euskelosaurus is a genus of Late Triassic dinosaurs whose fossil was recovered from the Elliot Formation of South Africa and Lesotho. The nomenclature of their name can be broken into several parts.

In the name Euskelosaurus, the prefix term 'eu' refers to a better or a good version. The succeeding word 'Skelos' is a Greek term that is the synonym for the hind leg emerging from the hip elbow.

The term 'os' means the pelvic girdle of an animal that connects the legs to the hip bone. When all the words are combined together to produce the term 'eukelos'.

It roughly means having good legs. The word 'Saurus' is the Latin word for a lizard.

By combining the Latin word with the partially Greek term we get the name Euskelosaurus, which in English means a lizard with good legs. The holotype specimen that was discovered by Alfred Brown in 1863 from the Elliot Formation of South Africa was named Euskelosaurus browni after its discoverer.

Where was the skull and skeleton of the Euskelosaurus found?

The fossil of Euskelosaurus was first found by Robert Brown in the Elliot Formation of South Africa. The Elliot Formation in South Africa was a place from where the remains of many Late Triassic and Early Jurassic dinosaurs have been collected.

While researching the fossil remains of the Elliot Formation in South Africa, Alfred Brown came across the skeleton of the Euskelosaurus. Only the limb bones and vertebrae have been discovered from the lower Elliot Formation in South Africa.

There are currently no records of the skull of the dinosaur. This early prosauropod Saurischia genus is a major link that describes the evolutionary path of the dinosaurs of the Jurassic period.

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 Tanycolagreus facts and Stegopelta fun facts pages.

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

*The first image is by Nobu Tamura.

*The second image is by PaleoNeolitic.

*We've been unable to source an image of Euskelosaurus and have used an image of Spinostropheus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Euskelosaurus, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.