Fun Rebbachisaurus Facts For Kids

Rebbachisaurus is a member of the Diplodocoidea superfamily, along with members such as Nigersaurus, Limaysaurus, Demandasaurus, and Rayososaurus. This dinosaur from the early to late cretaceous Africa is characterized by its long, graceful neck and tall and ridged back. The evidence of such features is provided by fossils in the Aoufous formation and Continental intercalaire formation.  

This species of the classes Diplodocoid, Dinosauria, Sauropoda, and family Rebbachisauridae is dated back to around 95 - 99 million years ago. One fun fact is that the similar fossils found in Africa and South America support the theory of the two continents being attached at some point in time!

How do you pronounce 'Rebbachisaurus'?

Rebacchisaurus is pronounced as 'ray-back-ee-saw-us'.

What type of dinosaur was a Rebbachisaurus?

The Rebbachisaurus was a sauropod genus that belonged to the superfamily Diplodocoidea.

In which geological period did the Rebbachisaurus roam the earth?

The geological period during which these dinosaurs or sauropods tread the earth is an aid to be around the early to late cretaceous period.

When did the Rebbachisaurus become extinct?

The discovery of this species and the subsequent studies suggest that these sauropods lived on earth around 95 - 99 million years ago.

Where did a Rebbachisaurus live?

The fact that this species (Rebbachisaurus garasbae, Lavocat 1954) is estimated to be herbivorous suggests that the habitat range of the species would have consisted of the lush grasslands that were abundant and unending in the early cretaceous or late Cretaceous periods.

What was a Rebbachisaurus's habitat?

The habitat range of the Rebbachisaurus is thought to have consisted mainly of Africa, and particularly places such as Morocco, Niger, Algeria, and Tunisia, since the fossil remains have only been gathered from these areas.

Almost the same fossil remains have also been discovered in Africa and South America, which further consolidates the theory that the two continents were previously joined.

Who did a Rebbachisaurus live with?

It is extremely tough to predict the behavior patterns of the species in a society, based on the evidence that is presented by fossil remains by this relatively new sauropod, however, we can assume that since the species was herbivorous, Rebbachisaurus would usually be found in large groups.

How long did a Rebbachisaurus live?

Unfortunately, no study or content is available regarding the average lifespan of this species, and any assumption regarding this would be too vague to consider.

How did they reproduce?

All the studies and journals that have been recorded in recent history suggest that most dinosaurs were oviparous, which means that the female laid eggs. Whether or not these sauropods, too, were oviparous is under speculation.

What did a Rebbachisaurus look like?

The first few Rebbachisaurus fossils that were found in Morocco consisted of eleven vertebrae, a shoulder blade, a sacrum, and a humerus. Such bones suggested that the Rebbachisaurus was a dinosaur species that had a long, graceful neck, a small head, and a tall ridged back.

The holotype fossil of this member of the Rebbachisauridae family is its dorsal vertebrae, which has been studied ever since it was discovered.

How many bones did a Rebbachisaurus have?

Not much content is available regarding the total number of bones that were present in the body of a Rebbachisaurus (genus), but the bones that were discovered from the Aoufous formation and Kem Kem beds of Southeastern morocco include eleven vertebrae, and a humerus among other bones.

How did they communicate?

It is unclear as to how these habitants of the early cretaceous or late cretaceous era communicated with each other, but it can safely be assumed that their tonal quality would have been pretty rough, loud, and harsh.

How big was a Rebbachisaurus?

The average length of this sauropod dinosaur is around 46-85.3 ft (14-26 m). They are fairly huge, as is evident from the abundant size of the body. There can be some differences in the length that different scientists or paleontologists associate with the dinosaur, and hence, we have created a range that would be inclusive of all the interpretations and theories.

How fast could a Rebbachisaurus move?

While there is no evidence that can tell us the exact speed at which these dinosaurs (genus Rebbachisaurus) from Africa could move, the discovery of the size is suggestive of the fact that they might not have been very agile or fast.

How much did a Rebbachisaurus weigh?

The average weight of this dinosaur from Africa is a matter of conflicting ideas and theories. If we compile the range of weight suggested by each of the scientists, this giant from the history of earth would weigh around 7.7-44 short tons (7-40 metric tons)!

What were the male and female names of the species?

Since there are no distinct names for the male and female members of the Rebbachisaurus community, we have resorted to simply referring to them as the male Rebbachisaurus and the female Rebbachisaurus respectively.

What would you call a baby Rebbachisaurus?

Since baby dinosaurs are known to have hatched from eggs, they are called hatchlings! That's quite a tiny name for such a huge creature, isn't it?

What did they eat?

The genus Rebbachisaurus is known to be herbivorous. Members of the species Rebbachisaurus garasbae has long, slender neck, which could be used to reach the top foliage of trees. No sharp teeth have been found in any of the fossil sites, and hence, the chances of the species being carnivorous or even omnivorous are absent.

How aggressive were they?

According to scientists and paleontologists, herbivorous dinosaurs were fairly peaceful and the only threat was they posed was due to their ginormous size. While it would be very tough for anyone to believe that such a gigantic creature would pose no threat, none of the evidence would suggest it.

Did you know...

A third species of the Rebbachisaurus genus was named after the discovery of a specimen at the Candeleros Formation of Argentina, by Calvo and Salgado.

This species belongs to the diplodocoidea superfamily, along with Rayososaurus, Nigersaurus, Demandasaurus and Limaysaurus (Calvo and Salgado).

This species is placed in the early to late cretaceous period.

Rebbachisaurus belongs to more than just one class of animals. The three classes that they belong to are Dinosauria, diplodocoid, and Sauropoda.

The Diplodocoidea superfamily includes other members such as Suoersaurus, diplodocus, apatosaurus, and Amphicoelias.

Was Rebbachisaurus endemic?

It is difficult to say whether or not Rebbachisaurus was endemic since the history of the land in which this sauropod dinosaur lived is still unclear. However, evidence of their existence has only been found in Africa, particularly in the Kem Kem beds of South Eastern Morocco and hence, these early cretaceous dinosaurs might have been endemic.

What is the close dinosaur relative of Rebbachisaurus?

The close dinosaur  relative of the new sauropod, Rebbachisaurus garasbae, is Rayososaurus. The discovery of this species was made in South America and adds to the theory that the two continents, South America and Africa, were previously the same continent.

These dinosaurs are also related to the other members of the superfamily such as Nigersaurus, Limaysaurus, and Demandasaurus.

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 berberosaurus facts or sphaerotholus facts.

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

Main image by Nobu Tamura and second image by Ghedoghedo.

*Please note that this is an illustration of a Rebacchisaurus, since the entire skeleton of the species has not been found yet.