Fun Jobaria Facts For Kids

The Jobaria (scientific name Jobaria tiguidensis) was a type of primitive sauropod which existed during the Early Cretaceous period.

It is known as one of the most intact long-necked skeletons ever found, with over 95% of its bones preserved on discovery. It was found in the Abaka-Tiouraren Formation, in the Sahara in Niger, which is a mass-death site for dinosaurs.

It was named Jobaria after the Jobar - a mythical creature present in African folklore, and tiguidensis after the Tiguidi cliff, which is near where its remains were dug up.

To learn more about this gentle giant, read on! For more relatable content, check out these Chubutisaurus facts and Haplocanthosaurus facts for kids.

Jobaria Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Jobaria'?

Jobaria can be pronounced as 'joh-bahr-ee-uh'.

What type of dinosaur was a Jobaria?

The classification of the Jobaria is as a type of Sauropoda, a type of dinosaur having a long neck and tail with a small head.

In which geological period did the Jobaria roam the Earth?

These dinosaurs lived during the Early Cretaceous period, which took place around 132-94 million years ago.

When did the Jobaria become extinct?

The last Jobaria dinosaur likely died out around 94 million years ago at the close of the Early Cretaceous period, after which no traces of this species being alive have been found.

Where did Jobaria live?

The Jobaria dinosaur was found at the mass death site in the Abaka-Tiouraren Formation of the Sahara in South Africa, in what is the present Niger (Nigeria). It was found in 1997 during an expedition led by Dr. Paul Sereno in the Sahara desert.

What was the Jobaria's habitat?

The Jobaria mostly likely lived in the Saharan regions of Africa i.e. in dry and arid areas. However, the makeup of this landscape during the Early Cretaceous period could have been quite different.

Who did Jobaria live with?

Jobaria sauropods, like most other dinosaurs, mostly lived in packs. There are high chances of herbivorous dinosaurs living and feeding together in groups, and this theory has been developed due to the discovery of a number of fossilized trackways containing a sequence of dinosaur footprints, all suggesting the presence of dinosaurs traveling in groups.

The Jobaria species traveled in herds consisting of both adult and juvenile individuals.

How long did a Jobaria live?

Though the exact lifespan of a dinosaur cannot be determined, it has been estimated that they lived quite long lives, akin to those of similar reptiles like crocodiles and turtles. Due to their slow metabolisms and herbivorous diets, these beasts have been estimated to live between 80-300 years.

How did they reproduce?

Jobaria dinosaurs were oviparous and reproduced by laying eggs. Their mating process was mostly similar to that of modern-day reptiles, with internal fertilization taking place inside the female's body.

Jobaria Fun Facts

What did Jobaria look like?

Being a primitive sauropod, the Jobaria dinosaur had a long neck and small head. It also had four thick, stumpy legs with the rear legs being stronger and more weight-bearing than the front ones.

This was useful when they wanted to rear up i.e.

stand up on their hind legs in order to reach tall branches and treetops in order to eat leaves, as concluded by Dr. Paul Sereno. Though it was a sauropod, it had a considerably shorter neck than other species, consisting only of 12 vertebrae as opposed to the usual 15 of later sauropods.

How many bones did a Jobaria have?

Though the exact number of bones this dinosaur had has not been determined, an almost full skeleton consisting of most bones and the skull has been unearthed. The skull also possessed most teeth.

which were found to be spoon-shaped in nature. The number of bones possessed by the average dinosaur has been worked out to be around 200, hence the Jobaria dinosaur most probably had around 200 bones.

How did they communicate?

Dinosaurs are known for their loud, earth-shaking roars which are mostly how this dinosaur communicated. They mostly used bellowing roars, grunts of low rumbling noises to communicate, in order to mate or chase away other dinosaurs from their territories. Visual displays were also probably used, with raising of the front legs, stomping, and tail whipping involved.

How big was the Jobaria?

The estimated Jobaria size was calculated as around 70 ft (21.3 m) in length and is 15 ft (4.6 m) tall in length at the hip. It was around 6 ft (1.8 m) wide in length at the chest.

How fast could a Jobaria move?

The Jobaria dinosaur, in contrast to other awkward, lumbering sauropods, is thought to have been quite graceful in nature. Its close-set feet were positioned right under its body, which allowed them to walk and run with great agility and balance.

It is speculated that they were quite fast indeed due to this, being able to walk faster than humans can run. Their hind legs bore most of their weight, making it easy for them to balance their great weight.

How much did a Jobaria weigh?

The Jobaria dinosaur weighed approximately 48,501.7 lb (22,000 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

A male dinosaur has been termed a saurus whereas the female dinosaur is known as saura. We do not make any distinction in sex while referring to dinosaurs though.

What would you call a baby Jobaria?

Baby Jobaria dinosaurs were known as hatchlings.

What did they eat?

Since Jobaria dinosaurs were herbivorous in nature, they most likely sustained themselves on a diet of leaves, twigs, roots, and rudimentary fruits, vegetables, and seeds. It had a long, flexible neck as well as special spoon-shaped teeth which were adapted in order for it to forage for leaves among the tallest trees to fulfill its diet requirements.

They are also have thought to rear themselves on their hind legs, similar to elephants, in order to reach taller trees.

How aggressive were they?

Though dinosaurs with herbivorous diets did not prey on smaller creatures, they still had to be quite aggressive in order to protect themselves from the larger predatory dinosaurs such as various therapods and velociraptors.

They had a number of defensive mechanisms such as tough, scaly armor, bludgeon, and mace-like tails and sharp horns and spikes on their body, in order to attack any incoming predators head-on.

The Jobaria is speculated to have used its rearing behavior in order to intimidate predators and defend itself from attack.

Did you know...

It is one of the most complete sauropod dinosaur specimens found, with over 95% of the Jobaria skeleton being intact!

This dinosaur had 12 vertebrae in its neck, as opposed to the usual 15 possessed by later sauropods.

Their center of gravity was closer to their rear legs, due to which they were able to prop themselves up and reach taller trees. This was concluded by Dr. Paul Sereno.

Though their classification is from the Early Cretaceous age, there is an ongoing debate that this dinosaur is better suited to the Middle Jurassic age.

It is theorized by the local Tuareg people that the bones of the Jobaria are the bones of the mythical Jobar creature itself!

It lived in the vicinity of the Afrovenator, a particularly dangerous carnivorous dinosaur that was known to grab onto its prey with its well-developed forelimbs and hold it there in order to deliver vicious bites. Both adult and juvenile Jobaria dinosaurs would have been at risk of being hunted by this ruthless reptile.

With the help of their rearing ability, these dinosaurs were able to reach treetops up to 30 ft (9.1 m) in height!

Why are they called Jobaria?

The Jobaria dinosaur is named after the Jobar, a mythical creature present in African folklore and mythology. The species name tiguidensis refers to a cliff located in the vicinity of the found Jobaria remains.

How many specimens of Jobaria were discovered?

Two different Jobaria dinosaur specimens have been found by scientists so far, both in the Abaka-‬Tiouraren Formation in Niger. These specimens were found in a quite intact state, which is very astounding as almost 95% of the skeleton was preserved upon retrieval!

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 Huayangosaurus facts and Aetonyx fun facts for kids pages.

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

Second image by Steveoc 86.