Rapetosaurus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids RapetosaurusTemporal range: Upper Cretaceous
70–66 mya |
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| Juvenile skeleton next to adult Field Museum of Natural History |
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Rapetosaurus
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Rapetosaurus was a type of dinosaur called a sauropod. These dinosaurs were known for their very long necks and tails. Rapetosaurus lived about 70 to 66 million years ago. This was at the very end of the Cretaceous period. It lived in what is now Madagascar. Only one kind of Rapetosaurus has been found, called Rapetosaurus krausei. Like other sauropods, Rapetosaurus walked on four legs and ate plants.
Scientists were very excited to find Rapetosaurus. It was the first time they found a titanosaur dinosaur with a nearly complete skeleton, including its skull. This helped them learn a lot about these giant creatures.
What did Rapetosaurus look like?
Rapetosaurus looked like a typical sauropod dinosaur. It had a huge body, similar to an elephant. It also had a very long neck and a short, thin tail.
Its head looked a bit like a diplodocid dinosaur. It had a long, narrow snout. Its nostrils were located on the top of its skull. Rapetosaurus was a herbivore, meaning it ate only plants. Its small, pencil-shaped teeth were good for pulling leaves off trees. However, they were not good for chewing the leaves.
How big was Rapetosaurus?
Rapetosaurus was a medium-sized titanosaur. A young Rapetosaurus skeleton was found. This young dinosaur was about 8 meters (26 feet) long from head to tail. Scientists think it weighed about the same as an elephant.
An adult Rapetosaurus would have been much larger. It could grow to be about 15 meters (49 feet) long. While this is very big, it was still less than half the length of some other giant titanosaurs. Dinosaurs like Argentinosaurus and Paralititan were much, much bigger.
Images for kids
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Field Museum mount in side view
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Mounted Majungasaurus and Rapetosaurus
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Restoration of two Majungasaurus chasing Rapetosaurus
See also
In Spanish: Rapetosaurus krausei para niños
