17 Dino-mite Ledumahadi Facts That Kids Will Love

Ledumahadi, which refers to a 'a giant thunderclap', is a sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Early Jurassic period, whose name reflects the great size. This land animal belonged to the Elliot Formation in South Africa.

The singular incomplete postcranial fossil found in the region led to the discovery of one of the first giant species of sauropodomorphs.

Speculated to be a quadrupedal animal due to well-developed fore-limbs, it was one of the species that exhibited early trends towards gigantism and supposedly reached the weight of around 26,455.5 lb (12,000 kg). It did not possess columnar limbs like the rest of its relatives that followed it, which made it different in its own sense.

For more relatable content, check out these Savannasaurus facts and Zhenyuanlong facts for kids.

Ledumahadi Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Ledumahadi'?

The name of this giant sauropod dinosaur, Ledumahadi mafube pronunciation is ' Le-du-mah-had-e mah-fu-bey'.

What type of dinosaur was a Ledumahadi?

Ledumahadi is a giant lessemsaurid sauropod dinosaur that lived in South Africa during the Early Jurassic.

In which geological period did the Ledumahadi roam the Earth?

From the remains of the family of these sauropodomorphs, the Ledumahadi, we can estimate that they lived during the Hettangian of the Jurassic period, 200-195 million years ago.

When did the Ledumahadi become extinct?

According to their fossil discovery, it has been approximated that the Ledumahadi giant dinosaur's lineage appeared at the origins of sauropodomorphs and was last recorded appearing around 195 million years ago in the Jurassic of South Africa.

Where did a Ledumahadi live?

According to the researchers who led to the discovery of Ledumahadi fossils, it is a lessemsaurid sauropod new dinosaur with the origins of sauropod dinosaurs in Jurassic of South African-‬Elliot Formation.

What was a Ledumahadi's habitat?

These sauropods, Ledumahadi, are believed to have lived in a terrestrial habitat in the heritage of southern Africa. According to many studies done on dinosaur species, its range is mostly restricted to the areas along ancient rivers and streams.

They would roam in search of food inside the forested floodplains and densely vegetated swamps and lakes or near the sea.

Who did a Ledumahadi live with?

Researchers say that the newly discovered dinosaur is a close relative of gigantic dinosaurs that lived during the same time in Argentina, deduced from the Ledumahadi mafube dinosaur fossils.

How long did a Ledumahadi live?

Ledumahadi mafube sauropods dinosaurs are believed to have lived from the Middle to the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 200-195 million years ago. This means they were present for around five million years.

How did they reproduce?

Based on the known species Ledumahadi mafube from the bones found by Choiniere, the reproduction of this African animal group is believed to be oviparous. This means that such an animal is believed to reproduce by laying eggs.

Ledumahadi Fun Facts

What did a Ledumahadi mafube look like?

The Ledumahadi mafube, a member of the Lessemsauridae family, had properly evolved its front limb. It grew to become more stocky and was classified as quadruped animals with a flexed posture.

Ledumahadi was thought to be a quadruped, determined by comparing the circumference of its humerus and femur to that of other dinosaurs.

It would have possessed very massive, strong forelimbs, similar to those of its ancestors. Unlike those of subsequent animals such as evolutionary sauropods of similar size, each limb was clearly flexed, affecting its posture rather than being just columnar.

In contrast to the fact that the Ledumahadi was completely columnar, it existed during the Early Jurassic period. The Ledumahadi is believed to have been the most gigantic known land mammal that lived in the Early Jurassic at the time of its extinction.

Even the first true sauropods, such as Vulcanadon, are not known to have been that large.

L. mafube was more comparable to later evolutionary sauropods. It is estimated that it reached a maximum size of around 26,455.5 lb (12,000 kg), much more than double any reliable weight estimate for a Triassic sauropod and still significantly larger than the highest estimates for the Lessemsaurus.

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

How many bones did a Ledumahadi have?

The remains of these dinosaurs from the Jurassic of South Africa contain partial postcranial remains of sauropod dinosaurs. The exact number of bones is difficult to ascertain due to the gigantic size of the animal and a few missing remains in the new species.

However, one thing is for sure, the Ledumahadi dinosaur fossils are yet to tell a long story!

How did they communicate?

It is unknown how exactly the Ledumahadi communicated with each other or dinosaurs of different species. Philip J. Senter, an American paleontologist and a professor of Zoology at Fayetteville State University, believed that dinosaurs used to communicate both vocally and visually.

They would communicate by hissing, clapping their jaws together, grinding mandibles against upper jaws, rubbing scales together, and by the use of environmental materials like splashing against water. Dinosaurs would have communicated with one another during courtship, defending their territory, or alerting others about predators.

How big was a Ledumahadi?

The exact measurements regarding Ledumahadi's height and length are unknown. However, the Ledumahadi' size is estimated to be about 30 ft (9.1 m) long and 13.1 ft (4 m) in height.

How fast could a Ledumahadi move?

We can spot quadrupedality in early sauropodomorphs, meaning the use of four legs for locomotion, and therefore safely assume them to be actively mobile. They are a mark of sauropods from Africa and show the transition to quadrupedality (use of four legs) from the use of two legs by this land animal.

How much did a Ledumahadi weigh?

The Cretaceous Ledumahadi weight based on the classification of the specimen collected is estimated to be around 26,455.5 lb (12,000 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

Female and male Ledumahadi dinosaurs of South Africa are not given any different names.

What would you call a baby Ledumahadi?

Ledumahadi dinosaurs reproduced by laying eggs and the young ones were born when the eggs hatched. A baby Ledumahadi can be called hatchling or nestling.

This generalized term can be used for all dinosaurs since they were all hatched from eggs. In the case of theropods, dinosaurs that resemble birds, a baby theropod can also be referred to as a chick.

What did they eat?

Unlike Dryptosaur dinosaurs in history, they are quadrupedal, meaning they used all four limbs in locomotion. Evidence from the Ledumahadi mafube skeleton suggests they fed on low scrubby plants, using their small, elongated head but had a large gut. Ledumahadi mafube from the earliest Jurassic of the south ate plants also due to their abundance in these areas.

How aggressive were they?

According to their plant-based diet and the structure of teeth, these quadrupeds (four legs) dinosaurs are expected to have been non-combative in nature.

Did you know...

Researchers have named it Ledumahadi mafube, which is Sesotho for 'a giant thunderclap at dawn' which represents the fact that its lineage and size are both distinguishing features. Sesotho is an official South African language used widely by the indigenous people living in parts of the country where the new dinosaur from the earliest sauropod group was found.

10 incomplete Brachiosaurus fossils have been found to date.

What dinosaurs have been found in South Africa?

The earth fragments in South Africa had a thriving dinosaur ecosystem at the bottom of the world.

They featured 26,455.5 lb (12,000 kg) giant dinosaur-like Ledumahadi and tiny carnivores like Megapnosaurus.

These areas are also responsible for the evolutionary history of the earliest mammals and a few of the earliest turtles.

Some of the species whose fossils are the ancient heritage of southern Africa are Aardonyx from Early Jurassic, 199-189 million years ago, Coelophysis from Late Triassic, 225-190 million years ago, Heterodontosaurus from Early Jurassic, 205 million years ago, Lycorhinus from Late Triassic, 205-195 million years ago, Massospondylus from Early Jurassic, 208-204 million years ago, Melanorosaurus from Late Triassic, 227-221 million years ago, and Nqwebasaurus from Mid-Jurassic, 159-132 million years ago.

Who discovered Ledumahadi mafube?

From the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, Jonah Choiniere, a study author and paleontology professor, discovered the L. Mafube. Choiniere's student, Blair McPhee, in 2012 discovered the bones and animal fossil of an unknown giant dinosaur and named them to mean 'a giant thunderclap at dawn' due to its size.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other dinosaurs from our Juravenator interesting facts and Wintonotitan surprising facts pages.

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

Main image by Nobu Tamura

Second image by Evolutionnumber9