Fun Ohmdenosaurus Facts For Kids

Moumita Dutta
Oct 20, 2022 By Moumita Dutta
Originally Published on Nov 18, 2021
Edited by Luca Demetriou
Ohmdenosaurus facts are interesting.

The Ohmdemnosaurus is a type of Early Jurassic dinosaur that belonged to the clade of Sauropods. Only tibia and calcaneus bones have been discovered as fossils of the species.

It is one of the most commonly known genera of the Sauropod clade of herbivorous dinosaurs. Unlike other sauropods, these animals were much smaller in length.

Wild, while studying the fossils of Omdenosaurus saw a handful of reasons for including these Sauropods under the classification of basal Saropodomorphs.

Some primitive features like the sandal shape astragalus and the stepped nature of the lower tibia bone distinguish them from other Early Jurassic Sauropods. The shape of Ohmdensosaurus astragalus was closely related to another sauropod Rhoetosaurus whose Toarcian age fossils were recovered from northeast Germany.

The Ohmdensaurus fossils were found and preserved in the village of Ohmden. The name of the sauropod Ohmdenosaurus is derived from the name of the village Ohmden where their presence was first recorded.

The Ohmdenosaurus fossil was collected among the large fossil collection of marine animals deposited in the inland sea of Posidonia Shale located in modern Germany. It is one of the most significant fossil grounds in the world. To know more about these dinosaurs, keep on reading these amazing facts.

 For similar content, check out Elmisaurus and Cetiosauriscus facts too.

Ohmdenosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Ohmdenosaurus '?

The name Ohmdenosaurus is pronounced as 'Owm-den-o-sore-us'.

What type of dinosaur was an Ohmdenosaurus?

The Ohmdenosaurus is a type of Saurischian dinosaur that was previously considered to be a plesiosaurus, but their reptile-like hip gave off their actual identity. The subclass of the sauropod, sauropodomorph consisted of the quadrupedal sauropods. The fossil collection including calcaneus together with tibia indicated that the Ohmdenosaurus was a quadrupedal genus.

Accordingly, they were subdivided as Sauropodomorphas. They also had columnar limb bones like that of a sauropod.

The astragalus does not follow the ascending order which is common in bipedal species. The presence of these fossils aged back to the middle Toarcian age of the Early Jurassic epoch. These Early Jurassic dinosaurs of Sauropod classification is one of the oldest known Sauropods in the world.

In which geological period did the Ohmdenosaurus roam the earth?

The Ohmdenosaurus is a sauropod of the Early or Lower Jurassic epoch, which is the earliest period of all the three epochs. The Early Jurassic period lasted for a length of around 30 million years and therefore the period is classified into several stages.

The dinosaurs of the genus Ohmdenosaurus presumably roamed on the earth during the middle Toarcian age.

The presence of the fossil indicated that Ohmdenosaurus liasicus in the Posidonia Shale dated back to the Early Jurassic epoch. The Early Jurassic era lasted from 200 million years ago to 175 million years ago.

The Ohmdenosaurus was one of the oldest known Sauropods that have ever walked on earth. The Toarcian age lasted for around nine million years.

The geological length of the Toarcian age ranges between 182 million years ago to 14 million years ago.

The Ohmdenosaurus came into existence on earth around 182 million years ago and lasted up to 175 million years ago. Even though the exact discovery site of the fossil bones is unknown it is believed that they were found near the village of Ohmden in the '70s.

When did the Ohmdenosaurus become extinct?

The Ohmdenosaurus is an Early Jurassic genus of herbivorous dinosaurs whose fossil was discovered in the '70s from Germany. By studying the preserved bones it was inferred that the Ohmdenosaurus belonged to the last stage of the Early Jurassic epoch, which is the Toarcian stage.

Its type species, the Ohmdenosaurus liasicus fossil was examined to be one of the earliest sauropods.

Their existence dated back to 182 million years ago and after more than 10 million years, the species of Ohmdenosaurus became extinct. They became extinct during the transition to the Middle Jurassic age around 174 million years ago.

Where did an Ohmdenosaurus live?

The bones and remains of the Ohmdenosaurus species were collected from an area near the Ohmden village. Their bones along with the bones of other marine animals were deposited in one of the largest fossil grounds, the inland sea of the Posidonia Shale.

What was an Ohmdenosaurus's habitat?

The Ohmdenosaurus fossil was discovered from marine habitats. Originally they preferred to live in terrestrial habitats covered with trees and plans. Living in forests probably secured their food supply.

Who did an Ohmdenosaurus live with?

The social behavior of the Ohmdenosaurus is unknown. Some sauropods showed social behavior while others were found living in solitude. So the actual social structure of the animal is indeterminate.

How long did an Ohmdenosaurus live?

The Ohmdenosaur was one of the earliest sauropod dinosaurs of the Early Jurassic. This classification of the Saurodomorphs emerged around 182 million years ago in the last stage of the Early Jurassic.

Sauropods were present on earth for more than 10 million years and ultimately perished 174 million years ago. By the start of the middle Jurassic age, the dinosaurs of this genus classification completely became extinct.

The fossil of the type species Ohmdenosaurus liasicus was discovered much later in the '70s around the Ohmden village. The tibia and calcaneus bones of these were found in the inland sea of Posidonia Shale along with other marine animals.

How did they reproduce?

The reproductive behavior of the primitive species of the Ohmdenosaurus genus is unknown. The animals are reptiles in nature and like all dinosaurs, they also reproduce by laying eggs.

Ohmdenosaurus Fun Facts

What did an Ohmdenosaurus look like?

The Ohdenosaurus is a small sauropod of the Early Jurassic era. The holotype of the dinosaur indicates that it was a dwarf species.

It was small in length with a relatively long neck and tail like a true sauropod. They walked with four legs and were one of the earliest quadrupedal sauropods. The holotype of Ohmdenosaurus lacked the inventory number.

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

How many bones did an Ohmdenosaurus have?

The number of bones that an Ohmdenosaurus had is unknown. Only one bone of the right limb was discovered that consisted of the right tibia joined with the calcaneus and astragalus.

How did they communicate?

Communication was common for all types of dinosaurs. They were highly vocal and had good visual senses. These two features helped them to communicate.

How big was an Ohmdenosaurus?

The Ohmdenosaurus was a small dinosaur and its length varies between 10-13 ft (3-4 m). They were 3 ft (1 m) in height. They are twice smaller than Anabisetia.

How fast could an Ohmdenosaurus move?

The speed with which an Ohmdenosaurus moved is unknown.

How much did an Ohmdenosaurus weigh?

The average weight of an Ohmdenosaurus was believed to be 500 lb (227 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

The male and female species do not have any particular name. Both of them were referred to as Ohmdenosaurus.

What would you call a baby Ohmdenosaurus?

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

What did they eat?

The Ohmdenosaurus followed a herbivorous diet. They were a plant-eating species that fed on shrubs, leaves, and grass.

How aggressive were they?

They were herbivorous in nature so they were not as much aggressive as the meat-eaters.

Did you know...

The Toarcian age is the last stage of the Early Jurassic and it was during this time, the early sauropods began to spread widely on earth.

What does the term Ohmdenosaurus mean?

 The name Ohmdenosaurus is derived from the village name Ohmden located in modern Germany from where their tibia bone along with calcaneus was discovered. The term Ohmdenosaurus means Ohmden lizard.

Was Ohmdenosaurus earliest sauropod?

Even though the Ohmdenosaurus was not the earliest genus of the sauropod dinosaur, it was one of the earliest sauropods of Europe. Their holotype lacked the inventory number and since only one type of species, Ohmdenosaurus liasicus have been recognized most of the facts about the dinosaur are unknown.

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 Campylognathoides facts, or Jaxartosaurus fun facts for kids.

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

Image one by Lucas Attwell.

Image two by Smokeybjb.

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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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