Lourinhasaurus

Generic sauropod body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Lourinhasaurus 18 m (59 ft) long
as long as 11 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic sauropod body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Lourinhasaurus
Length
18 m (59 ft)
Period
Late Jurassic (150 Mya)
Place
Portugal
Food
Herbivore
Clade
Camarasauridae

Lourinhasaurus is an extinct genus of herbivorous sauropod dinosaur dating from Late Jurassic strata of Estremadura, Portugal. The genus is monotypic, containing one species, Lourinhasaurus alenquerensis. The type specimen for this species was discovered near the town of Alenquer, near an abandoned mill. The specimen is housed at the Geological Museum of Lisbon. The research history of Lourinhasaurus is not without controversies, with referred specimens later being interpreted as not belonging to the genus (such as the type specimen of Supersaurus (=Dinheirosaurus) lourinhanensis). Lourinhasaurus means “lizard from Lourinhã” literally translated, despite the fact that the type specimen wasn’t found in the Lourinhã municipality.

What we know

  • Named by (Lapparent & Zbyszewski, 1957).
  • Body length estimated at about 18 m.
  • Fossils found in Portugal.

What we guess

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