Fun Saltasaurus Facts For Kids

The Saltasaurus is a creature that lived in the Late Cretaceous period. It had large nostrils on its face which were probably used for smelling out prey or monitoring environmental conditions like air humidity - this may have been useful since they roamed during several humid times when many plants would suffer from waterlogging.

These sauropods were also believed to be good at capturing fast jerky movements with their eyesight!

The Saltasaurus (means lizard) was a herbivore, but it did have some vicious predators.

When the giants took over our planet Earth around 65 or so million years ago, they were pretty big themselves with armor and conical-shaped teeth made out of strong salt and minerals that could pierce through flesh easily enough as you may expect.

It used its long neck and snake-like body for browsing, which is why it had such an awkward gait!

The most interesting thing discovered and found about these creatures is their teeth; they were used both day and night so as not to eat anything too tough like tree bark or woody branches when trying out new foods at mealtimes.

It had skinny range little arms but when threatened or attacked it could open its mouth wide revealing sharp conical-shaped teeth of salt and minerals as well as biting at enemies with those chompers.

It had a massive weight of 2.8 tons (2540 kg)!

The Saltasaurus prehistoric wildlife was very rich and interesting.

The Saltasaurus fossils were discovered and found by Powell in 1980 from regions of Argentina. The Saltasaurus skeleton was also recovered by researchers around the same time in 1980.

Find more relatable content about Ostafrikasaurus and Crichtonsaurus for kids!

Saltasaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Saltasaurus'?

The correct pronunciation for the Saltasaurus name (means lizard) is 'Saw-lt-ta-saw-rus'.

What type of dinosaur was a Saltasaurus?

Saltasaurus herbivore was a type of titanosauird sauropod.

In which geological period did the Saltasaurus roam the Earth?

The Saltasaurus sauropod was found in the Late Cretaceous period around 80 million years ago.

When did the Saltasaurus become extinct?

The dinosaur Saltasaurus sauropod with strong armor went extinct around 65 million years ago.

Where did a Saltasaurus live?

Did you know that the Saltasaurus habitat was in today's Salta region of Argentina? The habitat for this massive animal ranged from dry areas with shrubs or grassy steppe-like settings near lakes where there’s plenty to eat.

What was a Saltasaurus's habitat?

The Saltasaurus named after its place of origin was probably a herbivore, living in forests and meadows near trees. It could easily find food with its long neck that is used to reach high up into the branches for tasty leaves or fruit on lower limbs of larger tree species.

Who did a Saltasaurus live with?

The dinosaur Saltasaurus lived in large herds. The Saltasaurus sounds like it had a good life. Other sauropods must've been nice to live with!

How long did a Saltasaurus live?

A Saltasaurus named after its place of origin is claimed to have lived for around 45 years. They are believed by some scientists and different titanosaurs experts as being one of the largest vegetation-eating dinosaurs that ever existed in the Late Cretaceous period that may include a few other dinosaurs too. What a remarkable life!

How did they reproduce?

Sometimes, the titanosaurs were not just enormous. The Saltasaurus from the Late Cretaceous period reproduced by mating and later females would lay eggs in order for new generations of sauropods like themselves to grow upon this earth. The clear Saltasaurus egg was relatively large when compared to other dinosaur eggs of the time.

Saltasaurus Fun Facts

What did a Saltasaurus look like?

One of the most prominent features of this sauropod was the huge nasal openings that covered half its face and allowed it to breathe with ease in any climate or environment!

The second thing about this lizard from Salta was how many spikes are on either side of its head where they could use them as protection against predators while escaping by running at high speeds.

The Saltasaurus is called one of the most interesting titanosaurs because it was a herbivore that ranged throughout southern Patagonia, Argentina.

They had long skinny clear necks and tails with such short legs. This sauropod also had small bony plates embedded in its skin throughout the body length.

How many bones did a Saltasaurus have?

The Saltasaurus was a lizard from Salta that had an unusual pattern of bones. It has 320 in total, including 40 plates to cover its head and neck area.

How did they communicate?

The Saltasaurus is an interesting dinosaur because they used to live on land but were able to swim in the water. It's probably how these creatures communicate with each other, by signaling their intentions through different body postures while standing or sprawling out of water for example!

How big was a Saltasaurus?

The Saltasaurus size was massive compared to every other dinosaur of its time. The Saltasaurus height was estimated to be around 12 ft (3.65 m) and a length of around 20 ft (6.1 m). The weight has been estimated to be around 2.8 tons (2540 kg)!

How fast could a Saltasaurus move?

As suggested by the discovered and found Saltasaurus fossil as well as extensive research, scientists believe it moved really very, very quickly. This dinosaur would be able to run at speeds over 50 mph (80.46 kph).

How much did a Saltasaurus weigh?

We are sure you must have seen pictures of Saltasaurus before, but have you ever wondered how big it was and what was its weight? It weighed 2.8 tons (2540 kg)!

What were the male and female names of the species?

The female and male sauropods of this species of dinosaurs are known as Saltasaurus sauropods.

What would you call a baby Saltasaurus?

The offsprings of these armored dinosaurs go by the name baby Saltasaurus dinosaurs. Otherwise, there are scientific terms for some species too!

What did they eat?

The Saltasaurus dinosaur discovered a couple of years back was a herbivore, and it turns out it only ate small plants and vegetation.

How aggressive were they?

Salinasaurus was not just the size of crocodiles, but also had a really large mouth full of conical-shaped teeth. The Saltasaurus hunt was among the best of its time million years ago although they did not eat meat, they would still kill off any predators or threat.

This armored creature could swim and hunt underwater or on land like its distant relative Deinosuchus did - which means that it would have preyed upon small animals from both environments and were super aggressive while doing so!

Did you know...

Saltasaurus vs T Rex - There are several similarities and differences between the Saltasaurus, a type of herbivore from South Argentina that lived during the Jurassic Period, and the T-Rex.

Like Saltasaurs, T Rexes were ankylosaurids - a group containing some of history's most well-known dinosaurs such as Triceratops or Stegosaurus - but they also had a display of armor plating on their backsides which protected them against attacks by other predators.

How did the Saltasaurus get its name?

The Saltasauruses are a group of dinosaurs, not one specific species. They get their name from Salta province in Argentina where paleontologists including Powell 1980 first discovered them during construction on the railway line that runs through this part of South America.

What other animals is the Saltasaurus related to?

Who knew that the Saltasaurus was related to such a diverse group of animals? The Saltasaurus may have been related to a variety of other animals, including T-rex and Triceratops.

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 Harpactognathus facts and Sauropelta facts pages

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