Riojasaurus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids RiojasaurusTemporal range: Upper Triassic
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Riojasaurus
Bonaparte, 1967
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Riojasaurus was a large, plant-eating dinosaur that lived a very long time ago. It was a type of prosauropod, which are early relatives of the giant long-necked dinosaurs. Riojasaurus lived during the Upper Triassic period, about 225 to 219 million years ago.
Scientists have found its fossils in La Rioja Province in Argentina. They have discovered parts of skeletons from about 20 different Riojasaurus individuals. This helps us learn a lot about this ancient creature.
Contents
What Did Riojasaurus Look Like?
Riojasaurus had a very strong and heavy body. It also had thick, strong legs, a long neck, and a long tail. Its leg bones were very dense and solid, which is unusual for a prosauropod.
Special Bones
Even though its legs were heavy, its backbones (called vertebrae) were lighter. They had hollow spaces inside them, like air pockets. Also, Riojasaurus had four sacral vertebrae (bones near the hips) connecting its spine to its pelvis. Most other prosauropods only had three.
How Did Riojasaurus Move?
Scientists believe Riojasaurus probably moved slowly on all four legs. Its front and back legs were almost the same length. This suggests it was a quadrupedal animal, meaning it walked on all fours. It likely couldn't stand up on its back legs like some other prosauropods could.
Images for kids
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An artist's idea of what Riojasaurus looked like.
See also
In Spanish: Riojasaurus incertus para niños
