Melanorosaurus readi Melanorosaurus

"Black Mountain Lizard"

You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Melanorosaurus 8 m (26.2 ft) long
5 people holding hands
Length
8 m (26.2 ft)
Period
Late Triassic (216.5–201 Mya)
Place
Africa · South Africa
Food
Omnivore
Clade
Dinosauria

Melanorosaurus (meaning “Black Mountain Lizard”, from the Greek melas/μέλας, “black”, oros/ὄρος, “mountain” + sauros/σαῦρος, “lizard”) is a genus of basal sauropodomorph dinosaur that lived during the Late Triassic period. An omnivore from South Africa, it had a large body and sturdy limbs, suggesting it moved quadrupedally. Its limb bones were massive and heavy like the limb bones of true sauropods.

What we know

  • Named by Haughton, 1924.
  • Body length estimated at about 8 m.
  • Fossils found in Africa and South Africa.