Tangvayosaurus facts for kids
Tangvayosaurus was a type of dinosaur that lived a long, long time ago. Its name means "Tang Vay lizard," named after the place where its fossils were found. This giant plant-eater belonged to a group called sauropods. It lived during the Lower Cretaceous period, about 113 to 100 million years ago.
Quick facts for kids Tangvayosaurus |
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| Tailbones of Tangvayosaurus, Dinosaur Museum, Savannakhet, Laos | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Sauropoda |
| Clade: | †Somphospondyli |
| Genus: | †Tangvayosaurus Allain et al., 1999 |
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Discovering Tangvayosaurus
Scientists found the first fossils of Tangvayosaurus in Laos, a country in Southeast Asia. They were found in a rock layer called the Grès Supérior Formation. This area is near Savannakhet. The discovery helped us learn more about dinosaurs that lived in this part of the world.
What We Know From Fossils
Tangvayosaurus was a very large dinosaur. It grew to be about 15 meters (around 50 feet) long. That's as long as a big school bus! It was a type of titanosaur, which were some of the biggest dinosaurs ever.
Scientists have found bones from at least two or three different Tangvayosaurus individuals. These bones include parts of its pelvis (hip bones). They also found several vertebrae, which are the bones that make up the spine. Some of these were from its back, and one was from its tail. Ribs and an upper arm bone, called a humerus, were also discovered. These fossils help scientists put together a picture of what this amazing dinosaur looked like.
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This is a femur, or thigh bone, from Tangvayosaurus.
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This model shows what Tangvayosaurus might have looked like.
See also
In Spanish: Tangvayosaurus hoffeti para niños
