Fun Sauroposeidon Facts For Kids

The Sauroposeidon was one of the tallest sauropod dinosaur species and was named after the Greek ocean god Poseidon. The meaning of the name is 'the lizard earthquake god'.

These sauropod dinosaur fossils were found in American states such as Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and the Gulf of Mexico. The Sauroposiedon skeleton specimens collected were incomplete. The remains discovered give information that these sauropods were herbivores on the basis of their food habits.

The giant Sauroposeidon fossils recovered give information that these dinosaurs were more prevalent in the Early Cretaceous period between the Aptian and Early Albian stages. This was the estimated time period when sauropods were diminished in North America and the time of the last known North American dinosaur. In-depth research was done in the year 1999.

These dinosaurs were compared to the largest dinosaur ever, Brachiosaur, of the Late Jurassic epoch, but the evidence did not support this. The largest dinosaur, Brachiosaur, known from the HM SII specimen at the Humboldt Museum, Berlin, is known for being the most complete.

The giant sauropod is also the heaviest, along with being the tallest dinosaur. The credit for the discovery of these sauropod dinosaurs can be given to Richard Cifelli, Matt Wedel, and P. Martin Sander. The proper fossil evidence was dated to the year 2000.

Learn some interesting and surprising fun facts about other dinosaurs, such as the Camelotia and the Blikanasaurus.

Sauroposeidon Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Sauroposeidon'?

The dinosaurs are indeed the tallest among all dinosaurs but the name of these dinosaurs can easily be pronounced. The pronunciation for the word Sauroposeidon is 'Sore-oh-po-side-on'.

What type of dinosaur was a Sauroposeidon?

The Sauroposeidon is one of the tallest known dinosaurs with a long neck and tail. The head of the giant sauropod dinosaur was probably small in comparison to its body.

The type species of the genus is Sauroposeidon proteles. These species clade within Dinosauria, Sauropodomorpha, Sauropoda, Macronaria, and Somphospondyli.

The discovery of the sauropod dates back to the year 1999, according to the press release.

This gained international media attention and led to many wrong interpretations of these species being one of the largest dinosaurs ever, but it was later found that the Sauroposeidon size is not among the largest category but among the tallest dinosaurs. The Sauroposeidon fossil is composed of pieces of vertebrae.

The number of fossils was limited to four neck vertebrae. The HM SII specimen of Giraffatitian, and the largest dinosaur, Brachiosaur, in the Humboldt Museum in Berlin have provided significant information in the context of these dinosaurs' discovery.

In which geological period did the Sauroposeidon roam the earth?

These sauropods, specifically the Sauroposeidon, roamed the earth unless otherwise noted, around the estimated length of the time period between the Aptian and the Early Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous period. 

When did the Sauroposeidon become extinct?

The Sauroposeidon dinosaur became Extinct around 110 million years ago.

Where did Sauroposeidon live?

The Sauroposeidon lived in Texas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming, and on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. The sauropod fossil was discovered on the site of the Antlers Formation in the southeastern part of Oklahoma. The fossils were discovered in North America.

What was the Sauroposeidon's habitat?

The Sauroposeidon habitat was the river delta areas and shores of North American states. The content is available regarding eating habits, from which it can be understood that these dinosaurs could not raise its head for a long period of time, so they would have preferred to live in low-lying vegetation areas and the woodlands of North America.

Who did Sauroposeidon live with?

There is no evidence or reports available that the longest neck-length Sauroposeidon lived in a group or was solitary. However, from most of the fossil evidence reports of the largest sauropods, it is believed that they lived in groups and herds of varying sizes consisting of relatives of Sauroposeidon from juveniles to adults.

How long did a Sauroposeidon live?

The Sauroposeidon life expectancy is believed to be from 125 million years ago to 100.5 million years ago in the Aptian to Early Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous period of North America. 

How did they reproduce?

The Sauroposeidon is believed to reproduce by laying eggs and mating. The eggs would probably have been laid in clutches and the parental care was done by the female of sauropod dinosaur species rather than the male. The male dinosaurs must have used some tactile cues to lure the females in order to mate with the female species.

Sauroposeidon Fun Facts

What did Sauroposeidon look like?

In the very beginning, according to the press release, the tallest known dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous period was declared as the largest dinosaur, but it was later resolved to be the only tallest but not the largest dinosaur. The dinosaur had a long neck and tail and had a small head compared to their huge body.

The Sauroposeidon dinosaur body size is compared to the measurements of the height of a six-story building.

Their neck cervical ribs were so long that from the ground, their heads would fit into the sixth story of a building. In 1994, the remains of Sauroposeidon were mistakenly thought to be tree trunks.

In 1999 it was revealed that the fossil discovered was the cervical vertebrae of a sauropod.

The four neck vertebrae specimen discovered in later years was clearer and in 2000 clarification was given by the scientists. They vary in color from gray to brown, black to white, and green.

How many bones did a Sauroposeidon have?

The exact number of bones in a Sauroposeidon is unknown and only four articulated neck vertebrae were found, which were confused with tree trunks.

How did they communicate?

The communication of these Early Cretaceous period sauropods with huge bodies and small heads from Oklahoma has not been recorded. However, in general, sauropods were believed to communicate using tactile cues and chemical smells. 

How big was the Sauroposeidon?

These sauropods are sometimes referred to as air Sauroposeidons. They could raise their heads up to a great height. The size of these dinosaurs was 89-112 ft (27-34 m) long in length and 56-59 ft (17-18 m) in height.

How fast could a Sauroposeidon move?

Complete fossil evidence specimens of these sauropods have not been recovered, and their exact moving speed is unknown. However, some estimates have been given by scientists in regard to their moving speed of 3 mph (5 kph). The heavyweight body and long cervical vertebrae would not make these dinosaurs efficient at moving fast in comparison to other dinosaurs.

How much did a Sauroposeidon weigh?

These sauropod dinosaurs weigh around 50-60 tons (4,5359-5,4431 kg). The Brachiosaurus was only 15 times larger in diameter and the Sauroposeidon neck vertebrae were around 30 times bigger than the Brachiosaurus. 

What were the male and female names of the species?

The male and the female of these species do not have any specific name and are known with common names.

What would you call a baby Sauroposeidon?

The babies of these dinosaurs were called hatchlings.

What did they eat?

The Sauroposeidon was a herbivore on the basis of its food habits. The long neck could have allowed these species to eat from the upper canopies of trees, palms, magnolias, and conifers.

According to some scientists, it is assumed that these dinosaurs would have also fed on low-lying vegetation because it would have been difficult for these dinosaurs to lift their long necks into the air for a long period of time.

How aggressive were they?

There is not much relevant information available in regard to them being aggressive or not. In general, most of the dinosaurs are aggressive when they forage for food and while protecting their babies from predators. These dinosaurs' babies were often the prey to Acrocanthosaurus atokensis.

Did you know...

Brachiosaurus is one of the largest dinosaurs in comparison to others that lived in the North American land in the Late Jurassic period. They existed around 154-153 million years ago. They were described by American paleontologist Elmer S. Riggs in 1903. Their fossils were recovered from the Colorado River valley in western Colorado, America.

Why are they called Sauroposeidon?

The name Sauroposeidon is named after the Greek god of the ocean, Poseidon, who you might have heard of in the great epic novel Odyssey by Homer. The ocean is big in the same way these sauropod dinosaurs were the tallest. 

Is a Sauroposeidon a Brachiosaurus?

No, a Sauroposeidon is not a Brachiosaurus. These two dinosaurs belong to the same family but not to the same clade. The Sauroposeidon clade is within Somphospondyli, whereas the Brachiosaurus clade is within the Brachiosauridae. 

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 Bothriospondylus facts and Chubutisaurus facts for kids.

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

Main image by Levi bernardo.

Second image by Ghedoghedo.