Sauropods!

Sauropod dinosaurs were the largest animals to ever walk the Earth. They lived on every continent. Evidence from fossil remains indicates that Sauropods first appeared on Earth about 200 million years ago.

Sauropod means “lizard-footed”. They had huge bodies with very long necks, long tails, and small heads. Sauropods walked slowly on four legs. Their back legs were straight, thick, and powerful. Their front legs were slimmer and their club-like feet had five toes. Some Sauropods had armor and small clubs on their tails.

Sauropods were the heaviest of all dinosaurs. Scientists estimate that they weighed up to 200,000 pounds. Sauropods ranged in size from 20 feet to over 100 feet long. Some of the biggest were as long as three school buses and as tall as four houses. The only real competitors in size are baleen whales that live today, such as the blue whale.

Sauropods were reptiles. They were similar to birds in some ways. They laid eggs and built nests like all dinosaurs. Sauropods also had hollow bones like birds. They had air sacs or hollow spaces in their bones. This reduced the weight of their large bones, including their massive necks. Their necks grew up to 50 feet in length, six times longer than the longest giraffe neck.

They were herbivorous, meaning they ate only plants. They could reach leaves at the tops of trees with their long necks. To digest the large amounts of plant material they consumed, their stomachs had to be very large. Their teeth were flat and dull to maximize their effectiveness for chewing plants. Sauropods replaced their old teeth often to keep up with their large appetites. Some would grow new teeth in just a month or two.

Sauropods lived on land near water. There is evidence that they preferred to live in wet and coastal habitats. Sauropod fossils are often found in wet areas, along with fossils of sea organisms. Their footprints are often found along beaches or crossing rivers. Fossil evidence suggests that Sauropods lived and traveled in herds.

The world’s overall climate was generally hot and dry when the Sauropods lived. They became extinct about 65 million years ago.