Fun Pelorosaurus Facts For Kids
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Commonly known as the monstrous lizard, the Pelorosaurus (scientific name: Pelorosaurus brevis) is a genus of the Sauropoda dinosaur and the Dinosauria clade. The genus belonged to the Early Cretaceous period which spanned from 140-125 million years ago. The Pelorosaurus was the first Sauropod to be recognized as a dinosaur. These dinosaurs have been found in England and Portugal.
In 1841, Richard Owen, an English paleontologist, described it to be a Cetiosaurus species or a whale lizard and named the species Cetiosaurus brevis or C. brevis, while Gideon Mantell identified the species as a dinosaur living on land. It was said that the Cetiosaurus brevis was a mix of the Sauropoda and the Iguanodon.
In 1850, Mantell reclassified the dinosaur under the new name, Pelorosaurus conybeari. The other common binomial name of the species is Pelorosaurus brevis.
Fossils of the Pelorosaurus were found in the Wealden Formation, sometimes also referred to as Hastings beds in England and Ferveneca in Portugal.
Studies reveal that a typical branchiosaurid trait was present in the dinosaur as the humerus or the bone of the upper limb was around 4.5 ft (137 cm) long while the average length of the body was 80 ft (24 m).
Only a few bones such as neck and back vertebrae, an arm bone, partial hind leg bones, and partial hip bones were found; skin impressions with hexagonal plates were also found.
Like other Sauropods, the dinosaur was an herbivore and its diet mainly included plants and leaves and studies reveal that the creature inhabited wet and coastal areas.
Let's read more fun facts about the Pelorosaurus, and if you find this article interesting, don't forget to check out exciting facts about different dinosaurs like the Chungkingosaurus and the Sauropelta.
Pelorosaurus Interesting Facts
How do you pronounce 'Pelorosaurus'?
Unlike other dinosaurs, the Pelorosaurus name is not that tough to pronounce. You just have to pronounce the name like 'pe-loh-sawr-us'. Previously the dinosaur was known as Cetiosaurus brevis or C. brevis, while it has several binomial names such as Pelorosaurus conybeari, and Pelorosaurus brevis. The dinosaur is also known as the monstrous lizard.
What type of dinosaur was a Pelorosaurus?
The Pelorosaurus conybeari belonged to the genus Pelorosaurus, the clade of Dinosauria and Sauropod, the class of Reptilia, and the family Macronaria. Sauropods with a nasal crest belonged to the Macronaria family.
In which geological period did the Pelorosaurus roam the earth?
The dinosaur belonged to the Early Cretaceous period which spanned from 140-125 million years ago. The Pelorosaurus conybeari was the first Sauropod to be recognized as a dinosaur.
When did the Pelorosaurus become Extinct?
Studies reveal that the dinosaur might have become Extinct 132 million years ago. The reason for extinction is not clear as of now, but generally, several causes resulted in the extinction of dinosaurs such as climate change, drought, volcanic eruptions, asteroid impact, and many more.
Where did a Pelorosaurus live?
Fossils of the Pelorosaurus conybeari were found in the Wealden Formation, sometimes also referred to as Hastings beds in England and Ferveneca in Portugal. It can be said that the dinosaur roamed throughout Europe during the Early Cretaceous period.
What was a Pelorosaurus's habitat?
No evidence regarding the Pelorosaurus habitat or terrain is available, but Sauropod dinosaurs generally inhabited wet and coastal habitats. Trackways of these sauropods have also been found near coastal areas.
Who did a Pelorosaurus live with?
Like other Sauropod dinosaurs, the genus Pelorosaurus was gregarious and lived in groups. The group consisted of juveniles and adult dinosaurs. Adult dinosaurs in the group cared for juveniles until they reached adulthood. They must have formed pairs during the breeding season.
How long did a Pelorosaurus live?
The exact life span of these dinosaurs is not known as of now, but Sauropods had slow metabolisms which resulted in a longer life span. Species such as the Apatosaurus, the Brachiosaurus, the Diplodocus, the Supersaurus, and a few more had an average age of 100 years.
How did they reproduce?
The monstrous lizard used similar reproduction patterns as other Sauropod dinosaurs. Like modern-day animals, mating patterns of the Pelorosaurus dinosaur were similar. The dinosaur must have performed similar courtship displays to attract potential partners, and males must have fought with other males.
Studies also reveal that these young dinosaurs were most likely precocial which means young ones were very mature and mobile from the moment of birth. The litter size of the dinosaur is not known, but the incubation period was likely to have been between 65 and 82 days.
Also, fossils suggest that eggs of sauropods were not bigger than eggs of a modern adult goose.
Pelorosaurus Fun Facts
What did a Pelorosaurus look like?
The Pelorosaurus was a huge and armored dinosaur that possessed a long neck and a long tail. The dinosaur had a small head, while the body was quite bulky.
Studies reveal that a typical branchiosaurid trait was present in the dinosaur as the humerus or the bone of the upper limb was around 4.5 ft (137 cm) long. Formerly, the genus was regarded as a mix of a Sauropoda and an Iguanodon.
We've been unable to source an image of a Pelorosaurus and have used an image of a Diplodocus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a Pelorosaurus, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.
How many bones did a Pelorosaurus have?
The exact number of bones of the dinosaur is not known as of now, but from fossils, only a few bones such as neck and back vertebrae, an arm bone, partial hind leg bones, partial hip bones, and a few other fragmentary materials were found.
The fossil was found in the Wealden Formation dating back to 140-125 million years ago.
How did they communicate?
Like other dinosaurs, the species used similar methods to communicate. Like modern-day animals, the primary methods were visual and vocal. Some studies suggest that dinosaurs used to roar, but roaring is more of a mammal thing. They performed multiple courtship displays during the breeding season to allure potential partners.
How big was a Pelorosaurus?
Through fossils, the Pelorosaurus length is estimated to be about 80 ft (24 m) while the length of the humerus or the bone of the upper limb was around 4.5 ft (137 cm). The species is quite a bit bigger than the Magyarosaurus and the Antarctosaurus.
How fast could a Pelorosaurus move?
The exact speed of the genus is not known as of now, but the dinosaur would not have been much more agile than carnivore dinosaurs. A biomechanics study of the genus revealed that some Sauropods had a top speed of 5 mph (8 kph).
How much did a Pelorosaurus weigh?
No information regarding the weight of the Pelorosaur dinosaur is available at the moment, but studies of the fossil revealed that the dinosaur was quite huge and as such was named the monstrous lizard.
What were the male and female names of the species?
There are no specific names given to male and female dinosaurs; people generally call them by their genus Pelorosaurus.
What would you call a baby Pelorosaurus?
Like modern-day reptiles, the Pelorosaurus baby is known as a hatchling.
What did they eat?
The Pelorosaurus diet was very much similar to other Sauropods as plants and leaves were mainly included in the diet.
How aggressive were they?
Male dinosaurs must have been quite aggressive with intruders or males of other herds.
Did you know...
The Pelerosaurus belonged to the same family as the Brachiosaurus, the dinosaur that was featured in Jurassic Park.
The Jurassic period spanned from 199.6 to 145.5 million years ago.
Were they social?
Yes, like other Sauropods, these dinosaurs were quite gregarious and lived in herds. Adult dinosaurs used to look after young ones.
Why did the Pelorosaurus have such a long neck?
The Pelorosaurus dinosaur must have had a long neck to help it feed on high leaves just like giraffes.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our Metriorhynchus facts, or Harpactognathus facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Pelorosaurus coloring pages.
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