Fun Tapuiasaurus Facts For Kids

Tapuiasaurus means 'Tapuia lizard', from the Tapuiasaurus genus. It is a small dinosaur of 16 ft (4.8768 m) height. This species roamed the Earth nearly 120 years ago which was the Aptian age, also the early period of the Cretaceous. These small reptiles weighed 9 tons (17236.5 kg) and 40 ft (12.192 m) in length. These Tapuiasaurus macedoi (Dinosauria Sauropoda) short-height dinosaurs are herbivores and only feed on plants and leaves. They were a terrestrial favored species and inhabited places like deserts, marshes, forests, coasts, and mangrove basins.

The basal Titanosaurus fossils were found in the Quirico formation of the Sao Francisco Basin in Minas Gerais, eastern Brazil which included an almost complete Tapuiasaurus skull (which was similar to a skull of the Titanosaur) and incomplete bones of its body. It was investigated and named by the International Hussam Zaher, Diego Pol, Alberto B. Carvalho, Paulo M. Nascimento, Claudio Riccomini, Peter Larson, Ruben Juarez Valieri, Ricardo Pires Domingues, Nelson Jorge da Silva Jr. and Diogenes de Almeida Campos in 2011.

Here is some additional interesting information about the Lanzhousaurus and Juravenator.

How do you pronounce 'Tapuiasaurus'?

The Tapuiasaurus dinosaur is pronounced like 'ta-pu-e-ah-sore-us'. It means 'Tapuia lizard'. This sauropod was named by Hussam Zaher, Diego Pol, Alberto B. Carvalho, Paulo M. Nascimento, Claudio Riccomini, Peter Larson, Rubén Juarez Valieri, Ricardo Pires Domingues, Nelson Jorge da Silva Jr. and Diógenes de Almeida Campos in 2011.

What type of dinosaur was a Tapuiasaurus?

This new species is from Sauropodomorpha clade, which means 'Tapuia's lizard'. It is a sauropod member of the Titanosaurus family. Its bones were discovered nearly 125-112 million years ago. They had holotype skulls, long legs, and necks. Tapuiasaurus fossils included a partial skeleton with a nearly complete skull. It was a herbivorous dinosaur. It has small nodules on its skin, unlike the normal dinosaur.

In which geological period did the Tapuiasaurus roam the Earth?

It was from the Early Cretaceous, also known as Aptian of the Cretaceous, nearly 120 million years ago. These Tapuiasaurus dinosaurs were found in Quiricó formation.

When did the Tapuiasaurus become extinct?

Research says that this sauropod became extinct after the early Cretaceous Aptian age of geographical period that is about 120 million years ago. It was found in Brazil and named by Hussam Zaher, Diego Pol, Alberto B. Carvalho, Paulo M. Nascimento, Claudio Riccomini, Peter Larson, Rubén Juarez Valieri , Ricardo Pires Domingues, Nelson Jorge da Silva Jr. and Diógenes de Almeida Campos in 2011.

Where did a Tapuiasaurus live?

Research says the fossils of a Tapuiasaurus's skull were found in the Francisco Basin in Minas Gerais of eastern Brazil, similar to the evolution of the nearly complete skull of the Titanosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil and other partial skeletons that have been found in this land area.

What was a Tapuiasaurus' habitat?

This Sauropoda was a herbivorous genus dinosaur that was a typical terrestrial reptile. They preferred land areas like deserts, marshes, forests, coasts, and mangrove basins.

Who did a Tapuiasaurus live with?

Like the other Titanosaur dinosaur, the Tapuiasaur was also a shy and solitary sauropod. The evolution of the complete skull of the new species Titanosaur and early Cretaceous sauropod tells us that they were similar to other sauropods and liked to stay on their own. This Sauropoda was not as aggressive as a frilled lizard, according to research.

How long did a Tapuiasaurus live?

There is no specific study that states the lifespan of this Sauropoda from the Early Cretaceous.

How did they reproduce?

 There are no specific reports that specify the details of how Tapuiasaur reproduce. But like any other dinosaur, they would have mated to increase their generation and laid eggs.

What did a Tapuiasaurus look like?

The Tapuiasaurus, also known as Tapuiasaurus macedoi, is interesting because the evolution of the skull of new sauropod dinosaurs is rare. When the complete skull of a sauropod is found, there is a long long debate about what dinosaur's skull has been discovered. This dinosaur had a long neck and tail, with strong muscular legs. These sauropods had holotype skulls. The size of the Tapuiasaurus was small compared to other dinosaurs. The weight of the Titanosaurus was 9 ton (17236.5 kg). They were 40 ft (12.192 m) long including their tail length. This Tapuiasaurus Macedoi was 16 ft (4.8768 m) tall.

How many bones did a Tapuiasaurus have?

There is no specific report on the number of bones the Titanosaurus had. Its fossils, including an incomplete skeleton and skull, was found in Sao Francisco and named by Hussam Zaher, Diego Pol, Alberto B. Carvalho, Paulo M. Nascimento, Claudio Riccomini, Peter Larson, Rubén Juarez Valieri, Ricardo Pires Domingues, Nelson Jorge da Silva Jr. and Diogenes de Almeida in 2011. They recovered partial bones of the body and an almost complete skull from the Quirico formation of Sao Francisco Basin, Brazil.

How did they communicate?

These Tapuia's lizards communicated with each other like any other dinosaur. They used their visible sources to see and reach the other species. Their hearing was also an additional way to transmit their thoughts to others.

How big was a Tapuiasaurus?

The Tapuiasaurus was not a very big dinosaur compared to others. It weighed 9 tons (17236.5 kg) but they were short in height, and were were about 16 ft (4.8768 m). On average, sauropods were 40 ft (12.192 m) in length. It was quite a big reptile compared to the water dragon.

How fast could a Tapuiasaurus move?

These Tapuiasaurus dinosaurs had a small body but were heavyweight so they moved at a moderate speed. They became prey to larger dinosaurs. They were lazy reptiles, like a small sand lizard of today's world.

How much did a Tapuiasaurus weigh?

This new Titanosaur from the lower genus known as Tapuiasaur weighed 9 ton (17236.5 kg). These small-sized dinosaurs were approved by Zaher and other international paleontologists.

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no different names for a male and female Tapuiasaurus. These dinosaurs were named by the international paleontologists Hussam Zaher, Diego Pol, Alberto B. Carvalho, Paulo M. Nascimento, Claudio Riccomini, Peter Larson, Rubén Juarez Valieri , Ricardo Pires Domingues, Nelson Jorge da Silva Jr. and Diogenes de Almeida in 2011.

What would you call a baby Tapuiasaurus?

There is no specific name for a baby Tapuiasaurus. These dinosaurs from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil are also known as Tapuiasaurus macedoi (Dinosauria Sauropoda). These were found in Brazil and named by Hussam Zaher, Diego Pol, Alberto B. Carvalho, Paulo M. Nascimento, Claudio Riccomini, Peter Larson, Rubén Juarez Valieri , Ricardo Pires Domingues, Nelson Jorge da Silva Jr. and Diógenes de Almeida Campos in 2011.

What did they eat?

Tapuiasaurus size wildlife is limited to the terrestrial region. Tapuiasaurus teeth are very strong and they only fed on plants and leaves of long trees.

How aggressive were they?

We do not know how aggressive these animals were, but sauropods were not very aggressive reptiles. However we cannot confirm how calm these Tapuisaurus sauropods were.

Did you know...

The paleontologists didn't found a complete skeleton of this species. It is not confirmed yet whether these reptiles were bipedal or not.

What climate did the Tapuiasaurus live in?

There is no specific research on the climate in which these sauropods lived. In eastern Brazil, the climate is humid tropical, and subtropical where the fossils of this new species called Tapuiasaurus were found.

What is special about the Tapuiasaurus?

These Tapuiasaurus dinosaurs in the Titanosaurus genus were found in Sao Francisco, Brazil. It was named by Zaher and many other international paleontologists.

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 Concavenator fun facts or Pegomastax fun facts for kids pages.

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

Both images are by Nobu Tamura