Fun Suuwassea Facts For Kids
Gallery
Suuwassea is a primitive form of dinosaur species and was found in North America and South America. This dinosaur species is believed to have developed characteristics similar to clades of diplodocids and dicreaosaurids. It is even called the new diplodocoid sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic era.
These dinosaur fossils recovered are huge in size and can be categorized as large herbivore dinosaurs. They were described by Harris and Dodson in 2004. This North American land dinosaur had a herbivorous diet and mostly fed on low-lying ferns, small grasses, green plants, and shrubs.
Despite their huge size, Suuwassea is still not categorized among the largest dinosaurs in the world. So you can imagine how big the dinosaurs were from this Jurassic strata!
Learn some interesting and surprising facts about other dinosaurs from the Early and Late Cretaceous periods, such as Angaturama and Ajkaceratops.
Suuwassea Interesting Facts
How do you pronounce 'Suuwassea'?
The pronunciation of the generic name Suuwassea is very easy and can be pronounced 'soo-wah-see-ah'. The word Suuwassea means 'ancient thunder'.
What type of dinosaur was a Suuwassea?
The Suuwassea is a form of large herbivore dinosaur that clade within the Dinosauria, Saurischia, Sauropodomorpha, Sauropoda. They belong to the family of Dicraeosauridae and the genus Suuwassea. These dinosaurs' scientific name is Suuwassea emilieae. These dinosaurs were very primitive and the fossil remains recovered are of a partial Suuwassea skeleton, which included partial vertebral and limb bones.
Their fossils were not recovered together but in a number of expeditions between 1999-2000. In 2004, Peter Dodson and J.D. Harris described this ancient primitive form of basal dinosaur.
In which geological period did the Suuwassea roam the earth?
The sauropods Suuwassea roamed the world during the Upper Jurassic period.
When did the Suuwassea become extinct?
The Sauropoda dinosaurs, Suuwassea emilieae, became extinct around 145 million years ago.
Where did Suuwassea live?
Suuwassea remains were recovered from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of southern Montana, USA. There is evidence of them being around the seawater resources in the north, but more remains have been found in the south, which makes them appear as basal diplodocid sauropod dinosaurs. The Morrison Formation is located in the southern Carbon Country of Montana in America.
What was a Suuwassea's habitat?
According to the strata, these ancient herbivores were acquainted with living in both dry and wet areas. However, from the number of fossils recovered of their partial skulls and other body parts, these sauropods were more accustomed to living in dry climatic regions.
It is also thought through some fossil remains that they lived near the Middle Jurassic Sundance Sea.
Who did Suuwassea live with?
There is no exact information available regarding their group size, but most of the sauropods live in mixed-age groups, including juveniles and adults.
How long did a Suuwassea live?
The Suuwassea lived around 145 million years ago. They lived in the Upper Jurassic strata period and lived until the Late Tithonian age.
How did they reproduce?
Most sauropods are believed to reproduce by mating and laying eggs. It is assumed that these dinosaurs dug big holes in the ground and hid their eggs for safety from predators, but there is no specific information available in the context of these ancient thunder species.
Suuwassea Fun Facts
What did a Suuwassea look like?
The Suuwassea is a new diplodocid sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of Montana, USA. These sauropods were distinguished by their skull and axial skeleton, which were closely related in character to the clades of Diplodocid and Dicraeosaurid. Though Suuwassea is very primitive, it has similarities with two other dinosaur species.
How many bones did a Suuwassea have?
The exact number of bones in these Suuwassea dinosaur fossils from North American land has not been evaluated and is unknown to the world.
How did they communicate?
There is no specific information available in regard to their communication, but most sauropods are believed to communicate using their vocals. They used to make different sounds in different situations.
How big was a Suuwassea?
The Suuwassea, as described by Harris and Dodson, was 46-49 ft (14-14.9 m) in length.
How fast could a Suuwassea move?
The exact speed of these Suuwassea sauropods is unknown.
How much did a Suuwassea weigh?
The Suuwassea weighed around 5.4 tons (5,400 kg).
What were the male and female names of the species?
The male and the female of these species do not have any specific names and are known by their generic names.
What would you call a baby Suuwassea?
The babies of Suuwassea are called hatchlings.
What did they eat?
These dinosaurs were herbivores and they fed on low vegetation such as shrubs, ferns, and green plants.
How aggressive were they?
Like most of the other dinosaurs, there is not much information available regarding how aggressive these sauropods were.
Did you know...
These Suuwassea are believed to be long-necked, small-headed, and long-tailed dinosaurs. According to Montana USA Acta Palaeontologica, the fossil of shoulder blades measured around 43 in (109 cm) and the rib was 53 in (135 cm). They are also believed to have a single hole in their skull, which is still a mystery to many scientists.
This new diplodocoid sauropod dinosaur was found in the ground of the Morrison Formation of Montana USA. They lived near the Middle Jurassic Sundance Sea.
How strong were their teeth?
It is assumed that these species did not have strong teeth in comparison to other sauropods because their skull roofing lacked the rostral end of the frontals, basipterygoid process, and parasphenoid rostrum.
How did they get their name?
The word Suuwassea means 'ancient thunder'. The root 'Suu' means 'thunder' and 'wassa' means 'ancient'. Therefore, it is sometimes referred to as the thunder lizard, which is often used for sauropods.
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 Tanycolagreus facts and Scolosaurus fun facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Suuwassea coloring pages.
Main image by Fred Wierum.
Second image ДиБгд.
*We've been unable to source an image of Suuwassea and have used an image of Diplodocus carnegii instead as the main image. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Suuwassea, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.
We Want Your Photos!
More for You
See All
Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Bachelor of Education specializing in Secondary Education and Teaching, Master of Arts specializing in English
Anamika BalouriaBachelor of Arts specializing in English, Bachelor of Education specializing in Secondary Education and Teaching, Master of Arts specializing in English
Bachelor of Commerce specializing in Marketing and HR
Pradhanya RaoBachelor of Commerce specializing in Marketing and HR
With a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Christ University, Bangalore, Pradhanya's passion for the English language and literature led her to explore the field of content writing, where she has gained extensive experience in writing, reviewing, editing, and fact-checking. She has also earned certifications in Google Ads Search, Google Ads Display, and Social Media Marketing, showcasing her proficiency in digital marketing.
Disclaimer
1) Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the Buy Now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published but we cannot guarantee that on the time of reading. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
2) At Kidadl, we strive to recommend the very best activities and events. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability. Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
3) Because we are an educational resource, we have quotes and facts about a range of historical and modern figures. We do not endorse the actions of or rhetoric of all the people included in these collections, but we think they are important for growing minds to learn about under the guidance of parents or guardians.