Fun Sefapanosaurus Facts For Kids

Moumita Dutta
Oct 20, 2022 By Moumita Dutta
Originally Published on Apr 14, 2022
Edited by Luca Demetriou
Fact-checked by Pradhanya Rao
Sefapanosaurus facts are all about a sauropodomorph dinosaur of the Early Jurassic Period.

Sefapanosaurus was a South African sauropodomorph that existed during the Early Jurassic period.

It was a bulky dinosaur with a long neck. These dinosaurs lived 200 million years ago in the Gondwana regions.

They were herbivores in nature and roamed in grasslands and savannas, and were of basal sauropodiform form.

Sefapanosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Sefapanosaurus'?

The Sefapanosaurus dinosaur name is pronounced 'Sef-ah-pan-o-sor-us'.

What type of dinosaur was a Sefapanosaurus?

Sefapanosaurus dinosaur was a sauropodomorph belonging to the Saurischia clade.

In which geological period did the Sefapanosaurus roam the Earth?

These basal sauropodomorphs roamed the Earth during the Early Jurassic period.

When did the Sefapanosaurus become Extinct?

It is unknown when exactly Sefapanosaurus became Extinct.

Where did Sefapanosaurus live?

The fossilized bones of these gigantic sauropodomorphs were excavated from South Africa and some other Southern Hemisphere continents.

What was the Sefapanosaurus' habitat?

The natural habitat of the South African dinosaur was mainly the areas with natural vegetation where they had unlimited access to various kinds of plant and plant parts. They may have thrived well in grasslands, as well as in the savannas of South Africa.

According to Dr. Diego Pol, they shared similarities with other herbivorous dinosaurs found in South America.

Who did the Sefapanosaurus live with?

They may have roamed in small packs during their juvenile stage.

How long did a Sefapanosaurus live?

The exact life span of the Sefapanosaurus of South Africa is not known.

How did they reproduce?

Just like other reptiles, these dinosaurs reproduced through laying eggs.

Sefapanosaurus Fun Facts

What did the Sefapanosaurus look like?

The South African dinosaur Sefapanosaurus was enormous in size with a long neck and small head. The fossils included limb bones, foot bones, spinal bones, and other parts. It had distinctive ankle bones. They were probably bipedal. It is not known know colorful they were.

How many bones did a Sefapanosaurus have?

Due to a lack of complete specimen evidence, the details concerning the exact number of bones this South African dinosaur possessed is unknown. The fossils unearthed from South Africa consisted of four partial skeletons and a small portion of the left foot bones and spine. This also included the limb bones.

How did they communicate?

Just like most other dinosaurs of the Jurassic period, the Sefapanosaurus of South Africa communicated both vocally and visually. They were able to produce low grunts and other similar sounds.

How big was the Sefapanosaurus?

The Sefapanosaurus was about 19.7 ft (6 m) in length and was bigger than the Ohmdenosaurus, which was about 13 ft (4 m).

How fast could a Sefapanosaurus move?

As they had huge bulky bodies, we may assume that they were not fast runners. Several research pieces have put forth the fact that these dinosaurs were bipedal in nature and their enormous body weight fell on their hind limbs, which made it difficult for them to run with great speed.

How much did a Sefapanosaurus weigh?

The weight of a Sefapanosaurus was about 1213 lb (550 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

The scientific communities have not given specific names to the male and female dinosaur species.

What would you call a baby Sefapanosaurus?

A baby Sefapanosaurus may be called a hatchling or a nestling due to the fact that dinosaurs laid eggs.

How aggressive were they?

Considering the fact the Sefapanosaurus species were herbivorous dinosaurs, we may assume that they were not aggressive in nature and were harmless. However, these sauropodomorphs surely intimidated other animals of that era and were probably territorial in nature.

Did You Know…

The Sefapanosaurus dinosaur fossils were discovered during the late '30s from the Zastron district of South Africa, which was about 19 mi (30 km) from the Lesotho border.

The name Sefapanosaurus has been named after the Sesotho word 'sefapano' which means 'cross'. This signifies the unique anatomical feature of the species which includes the cross-shaped ankle bones.

This genus is described in the essay 'A new basal sauropodiform from South Africa and the phylogenetic relationships of basal sauropodomorphs' in 'Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society'.

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

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

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Written by Moumita Dutta

Bachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication, Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management

Moumita Dutta picture

Moumita DuttaBachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication, Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management

A content writer and editor with a passion for sports, Moumita has honed her skills in producing compelling match reports and stories about sporting heroes. She holds a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Calcutta University, alongside a postgraduate diploma in Sports Management.

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Fact-checked by Pradhanya Rao

Bachelor of Commerce specializing in Marketing and HR

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Pradhanya RaoBachelor of Commerce specializing in Marketing and HR

With a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Christ University, Bangalore, Pradhanya's passion for the English language and literature led her to explore the field of content writing, where she has gained extensive experience in writing, reviewing, editing, and fact-checking. She has also earned certifications in Google Ads Search, Google Ads Display, and Social Media Marketing, showcasing her proficiency in digital marketing.

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