Fun Sigilmassasaurus Facts For Kids

Sigilmassasaurus is estimated to be a large-sized dinosaur that is closely related to the Spinosaurus, a much better-known dinosaur. Sigilmassasaurus were named after the Sijilmassa region of Morocco where their fossilized remains were found in the form of the neck vertebrae.

This dinosaur was discovered and named by Dale Russell in 1996 and was believed to be closely related to the Spinosaurus as they were assumed to have a disc-like structure on their backs.

The body structure is estimated to be that of a large carnivore with sharp teeth and the mouth was assumed to be like that of the modern-day crocodile with a long mouth that housed razor-sharp teeth that were used to end the lives of their prey.

These carnivorous dinosaurs were bipedal and were assumed to be territorial, aggressive, and fierce and this fierce nature was a requirement since they shared their habitats with other larger and smaller carnivorous dinosaurs.

If you like these facts about Sigilmassasaurus, be sure to check out facts about Lurdusaurus and Oxalaia too!

Sigilmassasaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Sigilmassasaurus'?

The large dinosaur species of Sigilmassasaurus is pronounced as 'Se-jil-mas-sa-sor-us'.

What type of dinosaur was a Sigilmassasaurus?

Sigilmassasaurus, the dinosaur once believed to roam the parts of Northern Africa, has been listed as a theropod dinosaur species but is also believed to have a semi-aquatic lifestyle as research based on the original specimen has led to a belief that these dinosaurs also had a piscivorous diet.

In which geological period did the Sigilmassasaurus roam the earth?

Based on the sigilmassasaurus skeleton remains found in the Kem Kem formation of the Tafilalt Oasis in Morocco, these dinosaurs were estimated to be roaming around the regions in northern Africa approximately 94-100 million years ago and the rocks in which their fossils were found preserved belong to the Cenomanian era, which is estimated to the earliest stage of the Late Cretaceous period.

When did the Sigilmassasaurus become Extinct?

There is not enough evidence on this spinosaurid species of dinosaur to make any sort of assumptions that can lead back to their extinction period. However, it is clearly known that this theropod was part of the ecosystem in the Late Cretaceous period.

Where did a Sigilmassasaurus live?

Sigilmassasaurus were terrestrial as well as semi-aquatic dinosaur species and they once occurred in the northern African region of Morocco, from where the vertebrae of this spinosaurid were unearthed from.

What was a Sigilmassasaurus' habitat?

There is not enough sufficient data that could give a clear answer to what kind of habitats this dinosaur species lived in.

However, it is known through the studies of the vertebrae of the species that this theropod was a land dweller and would also swim in the waters because of its piscivorous diet, making it a terrestrial and semi-aquatic dinosaur species.

Who did a Sigilmassasaurus live with?

Sigilmassasaurus were aggressive dinosaurs much like most other spinosaurid species that coexisted with them. Sigilmassasaurus occurred in the Cenomanian period and they shared their habitats, as well as, hunting grounds with other carnivorous dinosaur species like the closely related Spinosaurus, Bahariasaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, and the Deltadromeus.

How long did a Sigilmassasaurus live?

Due to a lack of research, the lifespan of the sigilmassasaurus remains unknown. Due to this lack of data, it is tough to state or estimate any sort of life history or lifespan the adults had.

How did they reproduce?

There is not enough data to make any kind of assumptions regarding the reproductive behavior of this spinosaurid species. As a result of which, the egg clutch number, sexual maturity age, or any sort of information regarding mating and breeding behaviors cannot be stated.

Sigilmassasaurus Fun Facts

What did a Sigilmassasaurus look like?

According to research based on the vertebrae found of the sigilmassasaurus, it is estimated that this dinosaur belonged to the spinosaurid genus and lived in what is now modern-day Morocco in the Cenomanian period.

This genus is a large dinosaur and is often thought to be closely related to the Spinosaurus, making it a large dinosaur species that had a disc formation on the backs. Sigilmassasaurus were thought to be bipedal creatures and traversed their surrounding during the Late Cretaceous period using these long legs.

The skeletal remains of this dinosaur were found in the Kem-Kem Formation in Morocco, northern Africa and these skeletal remains were only the cervical or neck vertebrae.

Studies based on the vertebrae of this dinosaur leads to the belief that they had rather short necks compared to another genus of the spinosaurid species like the Spinosaurus and if comparisons were to be made to modern-day animals, they were much like crocodiles as their neck vertebrae helped them in snatching fish rapidly from the aquatic biomes.

Not to forget that it is still unclear if the neck vertebrae were particularly short as most of the information that we have on this Cretaceous dinosaur is mostly based on assumptions.

How many bones did a Sigilmassasaurus have?

The exact number of bones that this dinosaur had in its body is unknown due to a lack of fossilized discovery.

How did they communicate?

The communication method of these creatures is not very well known. However, based on research on several other genera of dinosaur species, it can be stated that they too, like most other dinosaurs, communicated through visual and vocal methods. Grunts and bellows were used to thwart predators and fights for territories involved both vocal and visual methods.

How big was a Sigilmassasaurus?

The Sigilmassasaurus is one of the many dinosaur varieties that is still being researched upon, as a result of which the Sigilmassasaurus size is still unknown. Based upon assumptions and estimations this genus was estimated to reach a body length of 49 ft (15 m) and had stood 10 ft (3 m) tall!

How fast could a Sigilmassasaurus move?

The movement speed of this dinosaur is unknown as of now. It is, however, known that these creatures were bipedal. This two-legged movement is assumed to help these creatures in hunting and escaping larger predators that came close to endangering them.

How much did a Sigilmassasaurus weigh?

Based on the fossilized remains discovered in the Kem-Kem Formation of Morocco, the weight of this dinosaur is estimated to have been around 3000 lb (1361 kg)!

What were the male and female names of the species?

There is no specific name that can be applied to the male or female Sigilmassasaurus.

What would you call a baby Sigilmassasaurus?

A baby Sigilmassasaurus has no particular name assigned to it. They would simply be called hatchlings or juveniles.

What did they eat?

Sigilmassasaurus were believed to be carnivorous creatures and were predators of the highest quality like other dinosaur classes that co-existed with them during the Cretaceous period. Their diet is assumed to consist of smaller carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs, and other marine animals that were found in the aquatic biomes that these dinosaurs were a part of.

How aggressive were they?

These creatures were believed to be very aggressive as they belonged to the predator class of dinosaurs like the Spinosaurus that existed during the Cretaceous period.

Did you know...

A total of 35 different specimens of the bones of this dinosaur has been discovered over the years!

Naming the Sigilmassasaurus

Fossilized remains of the Sigilmassasaurus were discovered at the Kem Kem Formation in Morocco near the Tafilalt Oasis region, nearby the Sijilmassa city which is an ancient site, after which the dinosaur was named.

Canadian paleontologist Dale Russell was credited with the naming of this dinosaur in 1996. The name 'Sigilmassasaurus' was derived from the name of the ancient city Sijilmassa and the Greek word 'sauros' which translated to 'lizard'.

Because of the fossil being a part of the neck vertebrae, this dinosaur was referred to as a single class and was named Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis, which was derived from the Latin words 'brevis' and 'collum' which stood for 'short' and 'neck', respectively.

Sigilmassasaurus vs Spinosaurus

According to various researches based on the studies of both the Sigilmassasaurus and the Spinosaurus, it is assumed that both these creatures co-existed during the Cretaceous period and shared a common habitat with each other.

The Sigilmassasaurus is estimated to be smaller than the Spinosaurus as it stood at a measurement of 49 ft (15 m) body length and 10 ft (3 m) body height compared to the Spinosaurus that had a body length of 46–59 ft (15-16 m) and a height of 14-23 ft (4–7 m).

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 Sauropelta fun facts, or Mononykus facts for kids.

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

Second image artwork by Joschua Knüppe, article by Jamale Ijouiher, and edits by Otodusm.