Fun Seismosaurus Facts For Kids

The Seismosaurus was a large sauropod dinosaur and it falls under the clade among the Diplodocus. In the Greek language, the meaning of their name is 'earthquake lizard' or 'earth-shaking lizard'. The fossils of these sauropod dinosaurs date back to the Late Jurassic period, from the Kimmeridgian to the Tithonian age.

Paleontologists at first suggested the theory that these dinosaurs were unique dinosaurs, but after in depth and enormous historical research, it was discovered they belonged to an already existing genus. From the specimens of these sauropods, it was discovered that these dinosaurs had more than 240 gastroliths which measured the size of grapefruit.

These gastroliths actually helped them to chew the hard parts of the plant in the stomach if they swallowed it directly.

It was the paleontologist David Gillette who in 1985 did a detailed study on this dinosaur species, though the fossils had been discovered in 1979. David Gillette took the fossil remains of these dinosaurs to the Museum of Natural History in New Mexico.

The Seismosaurus skeleton was not complete and only included the tail vertebrae, pelvis, and stomach parts with vertebrae and ribs. Their head was small like other sauropods.

If you enjoyed reading this article about the natural history of the Seismosaurus, then do read some interesting fun facts about other huge dinosaurs such as the Camelotia and Borealosaurus.

Seismosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Seismosaurus'?

The pronunciation of this dinosaur is Seismosaurus is 'size-moe-sore-us'.

What type of dinosaur was a Seismosaurus?

The Seismosaurus was a herbivore, meaning it was a plant eater, sauropod dinosaur that was classified in the clade of Dinosauria, Saurischia, and infraorder of Sauropoda. They belong to the family of Diplodocidae and the genus Seismosaurus.

Originally, these Diplodocus and sauropod dinosaurs were scientifically named Seismosaurus halli, but later were named Seismosaurus hallorum. the type species of the genus is Seismosaurus hallorum. The fossil remains of these dinosaurs are at the Museum of Natural History in New Mexico

In which geological period did the Seismosaurus roam the earth?

The sauropod Seismosaurus roamed the earth in the geological period of the Late Jurassic period. This was somewhere between 159 million years ago to 144 million years ago in the Kimmeridgian to Tithonian age.

When did the Seismosaurus become Extinct?

These sauropods, Seismosaurus, became Extinct at the end of the Late Cretaceous period when all other dinosaurs were believed to be Extinct. The exact reason for their extinction is not known, but it could have been due to natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions.

Where did the Seismosaurus live?

This dinosaur, Seismosaurus, with a long neck lived in the Late Jurassic period, around 159 million years ago in New Mexico, North America. The fossils are believed to have been discovered in the Morrison Formation.

What was the Seismosaurus' habitat?

The Seismosaurus lived in the woodlands of North America from low to high vegetation regions of the place. These dinosaurs had long necks, so they must have brought their necks parallel to the ground to eat. The environmental condition of the Morrison Formation during the late Jurassic period consisted of mudflats, alluvial plains, swamps, and rivers.

Who did the Seismosaurus live with?

The Seismosaurus dinosaur lived in the Late Jurassic period and shared their habitat with the Stegosaurus, Allosaurus, and Brachiosaurus and did not have many predators due to their huge size. According to some paleontologists, the Seismosaurus may have stayed in a herd and migrated when there was a lack of food in the surroundings.

How long did a Seismosaurus live?

The Seismosaurus from New Mexico with a long neck and tail lived in the Late Jurassic period, between 159 million years ago to 144 million years ago. It is believed that these sauropod dinosaurs had a 100 year life span.

How did they reproduce?

The evidence of Seismosaurus reproduction is not very clear, but from a few resources about the history of this enormous shaking lizard, it is believed that the Seismosaurus reproduced by mating and laying eggs in clutches.

The female was more involved in the parental care of their babies and the male must have used some physical body gestures to lure the female to mate and reproduce.

Seismosaurus Fun Facts

What did Seismosaurus look like?

The Seismosaurus was an enormous large sauropod with a long neck and tail with a small head. They had huge, heavy-weighted bodies with short front legs.

Their feet had five toes with a claw on one toe to defend themselves from predators. A modern-day elephant's feet are similar to the feet of the Seismosaurus.

Many paleontologists have given the theory that the Seismosaurus dinosaur must have kept their necks parallel to the ground in such a way that they could move their heads to pump blood into their brains. The backbone vertebrae fossils had extra bones and the long tail had wedge-shaped bones to defend themselves from predators.

It is believed that the science behind this wedge-shaped bone was to crack the bones of predators. The Seismosaurus skeleton was not complete and only included the tail vertebrae, pelvis, and stomach parts with vertebrae and ribs.

How many bones did a Seismosaurus have?

The exact number of bones of this plant-eater is not measured and is unknown to the world.

How did they communicate?

The science behind the communication of these sauropods, among other sauropods, is unknown. However, other sauropods were believed to communicate using tactile, olfactory, and chemical cues. The males must have used some physical body gestures to attract the females and show their dominance.

How big were the Seismosaurus?

The Seismosaurus size was 150 ft (45.7 m) long in length and 84 ft (25.6 m) tall in height. The Seismosaurus length was 10 times bigger than African elephants.

How fast could a Seismosaurus move?

The Seismosaurus moved at a speed of 10 mph (16 kph).

How much did a Seismosaurus weigh?

The long-length size of the Seismosaurus meant this dinosaur weighed around 90.7 tons (82,300 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

Male and female dinosaurs have no specific name and are known by their general name.

What would you call a baby Seismosaurus?

The babies of Seismosaurus dinosaurs are called hatchlings or juveniles.

What did they eat?

Seismosaurus dinosaurs were herbivores and had blunt teeth like pegs for eating the hard parts of plants. According to Gillette, they had gastroliths, a type of stomach stone that was used to digest the hard parts of plants if swallowed without chewing.

They were even evident in the Seismosaurus skeleton. Their main diet was plant conifers, while other plants include gingkos, seed ferns, cycads, club mosses, and horsetail.

How aggressive were they?

The science behind whether they were aggressive or not is unknown. They would have, of course, been aggressive if they had been intruded on by predators such as the Tyrannosaurus rex. For their protection, they had a wedge-shaped tail and claws on their feet and toes. 

Did you know...

The Argentinosaurus was bigger than the Seismosaurus. The Argentinosaurus was 110 ft (33.5 m) long and weighed 100 tons (90,718.5 kg). From the name itself, you will recognize that Argentinosaurus dinosaurs were from Argentina and their fossils date back to the Late Cretaceous period.

Why are they called Seismosaurus?

They are called Seismosaurus because of their heavyweight. The earth would shake and it would appear to be like an earthquake on earth. Even the meaning of their name is 'earth-shaking lizard' in the Greek language.

Is the Seismosaurus the biggest dinosaur?

Yes, they were included in the category of biggest dinosaurs. They were the longest dinosaurs. The Brachiosaurus are considered to be the biggest and largest herbivorous dinosaur.

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, or Argyrosaurus facts for kids.

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