Dinosaurs A to Z
Dicraeosauridae

Dicraeosaurus

Generic sauropod body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Dicraeosaurus 3 m (9.8 ft) long
as long as 2 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic sauropod body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Dicraeosaurus
Length
3 m (9.8 ft)
Period
Late Jurassic (163–145 Mya)
Place
Tanzania
Food
Herbivore
Clade
Dicraeosauridae

Dicraeosaurus (Gr. δικραιος, dikraios “bifurcated, double-headed” + Gr. σαυρος, sauros “lizard”) is a genus of diplodocoid sauropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Lindi Region, Tanzania during the late Jurassic period. The genus was named for the neural spines on the back of its neck. The first fossil was described by paleontologist Werner Janensch in 1914.

What we know

  • Named by Janensch, 1914.
  • Body length estimated at about 3 m.
  • Fossils found in Tanzania.

What we guess

The reconstruction notes for Dicraeosaurus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.