Titanosaurus facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Titanosaurus Temporal range: Upper Cretaceous
Reconstructed skeleton of Titanosaurus blanfordi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Class:	Sauropsida
Superorder:	Dinosauria
Order:	Saurischia
Infraorder:	†Sauropoda
Family:	†Titanosauridae
Genus:	Titanosaurus Lydekker, 1877

Fossilised egg of Titanosaurus blanfordi

Titanosaurus was a type of very large, long-necked dinosaur known as a sauropod. It was first described by a scientist named Richard Lydekker in 1877. He found only small pieces of its bones. Because of this, later research could not fully confirm if Titanosaurus was a unique dinosaur.

What Was Titanosaurus?

Titanosaurus means "titan lizard," which fits its huge size! It was a plant-eating dinosaur. Scientists believe it lived during the Upper Cretaceous period. This was about 100 to 66 million years ago.

Size and Features

Titanosaurus was a very big dinosaur.

• It was about 9 to 12 meters (30 to 40 feet) long. That's like two school buses end-to-end!
• It weighed around 13 tons. This is as heavy as two large elephants.

For a long time, the name Titanosaurus was used for many different sauropod bones that were not well-preserved. This made it hard to know exactly which dinosaur was which. Scientists sometimes call this a "wastebasket taxon." It means a group where many different, unclear fossils are put together.

Where Did Titanosaurus Live?

The first bones of Titanosaurus were found in India. This tells us that these giant dinosaurs roamed ancient India during the Late Cretaceous period.

Renamed Dinosaurs

One of the most famous species once called "Titanosaurus colberti" was later given its own name. It is now known as Isisaurus. This shows how science learns more over time. As new fossils are found and studied, dinosaur names can change to be more accurate.

Images for kids

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  T. blanfordi holotype distal caudal vertebra (GSI 2195)

See also

In Spanish: Titanosaurus para niños