Sauropoda

Sauropoda, whose members are called sauropods, is a clade of saurischian ('lizard-hipped') dinosaurs. Sauropods had very long necks, long tails, small heads, and four thick, pillar-like legs. They are notable for the enormous sizes attained by some species, and the group includes the largest animals to have ever lived on land. Well-known genera include Alamosaurus, Apatosaurus, Argentinosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Brontosaurus, Camarasaurus, Diplodocus, Dreadnoughtus, and Mamenchisaurus.

Sauropoda

User:Zissoudisctrucker Thomas Quine Richard Mortel User:Zhangzhugang User:Morosaurus millenii User:Sainterx · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikipedia/Commons. May be a photograph of a specimen, or an artist’s reconstruction — an interpretation of a skeleton, since colour and soft tissue are almost never preserved.

On record

Recorded, not inferred
Also called
sauropodPBDB
Sits inside
SauropodiformesPBDB
Diet
herbivorePBDB
Life habit
ground dwelling, gregariousPBDB
Motility
actively mobilePBDB
Environment
terrestrialPBDB

Time the record covers

At least 133 million years on record.

The record covers at least 205.7 Mya to 72.2 Mya. No occurrence read is dated outside 227.3 Mya to 66 Mya.

Late Triassic — about 7 of 3583 occurrencesLate TriassicEarly Jurassic — about 85 of 3583 occurrencesEarly JurassicMiddle Jurassic — about 218 of 3583 occurrencesLate Jurassic — about 1062 of 3583 occurrencesLate JurassicEarly Cretaceous — about 867 of 3583 occurrencesEarly CretaceousLate Cretaceous — about 1345 of 3583 occurrencesLate CretaceousPaleocene — about 0 of 3583 occurrences231–225 Mya — about 0.7 occurrences225–219 Mya — about 2 occurrences219–214 Mya — about 2 occurrences214–208 Mya — about 2 occurrences208–203 Mya — about 2 occurrences203–197 Mya — about 23 occurrences197–191 Mya — about 15 occurrences191–186 Mya — about 16 occurrences186–180 Mya — about 21 occurrences180–175 Mya — about 11 occurrences175–169 Mya — about 38 occurrences169–163 Mya — about 155 occurrences163–158 Mya — about 54 occurrences158–152 Mya — about 187 occurrences152–147 Mya — about 549 occurrences147–141 Mya — about 325 occurrences141–135 Mya — about 91 occurrences135–130 Mya — about 84 occurrences130–124 Mya — about 103 occurrences124–119 Mya — about 175 occurrences119–113 Mya — about 131 occurrences113–108 Mya — about 134 occurrences108–102 Mya — about 95 occurrences102–96 Mya — about 128 occurrences96–91 Mya — about 100 occurrences91–85 Mya — about 73 occurrences85–80 Mya — about 128 occurrences80–74 Mya — about 132 occurrences74–68 Mya — about 515 occurrences68–63 Mya — about 292 occurrences205.7 Mya72.2 Mya231 Mya63 Mya

3,583 occurrences of Sauropoda on record, most of them in the Late Cretaceous. Bar height is expected occurrences, not a count: each fossil is spread across the span it is dated to, so a tall narrow bar means tight dating and a low wide one means loose.

When

3,583 occurrences

These are dates about fossils, not the animal: the record can only begin after it arose and end before it died out, so either end may reach further. Shares are expected occurrences: a fossil dated to a span is counted partly in each period it straddles. More on what this infers.

Found in

550 formations

Morrison — 39.07°N, 108.70°WMorrison — 42.04°N, 106.39°WMorrison — 39.65°N, 105.19°WMorrison — 42.15°N, 105.92°WMorrison — 42.02°N, 106.05°WMorrison — 43.38°N, 108.12°WMorrison — 43.63°N, 108.20°WMorrison — 40.42°N, 109.21°WMorrison — 35.20°N, 107.13°WMorrison — 40.44°N, 109.30°WMorrison — 38.12°N, 109.32°WMorrison — 38.54°N, 105.22°WMorrison — 38.81°N, 108.39°WMorrison — 41.91°N, 106.01°WMorrison — 45.25°N, 108.75°WMorrison — 36.21°N, 103.63°WMorrison — 35.56°N, 106.77°WMorrison — 38.45°N, 107.40°WMorrison — 41.88°N, 106.08°WMorrison — 39.24°N, 109.00°WMorrison — 38.58°N, 108.40°WMorrison — 44.54°N, 107.78°WMorrison — 44.65°N, 107.82°WMorrison — 41.97°N, 106.29°WMorrison — 38.73°N, 111.27°WMorrison — 38.55°N, 105.24°WMorrison — 43.65°N, 106.78°WMorrison — 36.90°N, 102.83°WMorrison — 36.93°N, 102.97°WMorrison — 38.54°N, 106.81°WMorrison — 38.64°N, 108.19°WMorrison — 45.54°N, 110.62°WMorrison — 44.47°N, 103.31°WMorrison — 39.01°N, 110.37°WMorrison — 44.53°N, 103.83°WMorrison — 44.18°N, 103.34°WMorrison — 43.41°N, 103.41°WMorrison — 44.46°N, 104.73°WMorrison — 44.25°N, 104.41°WMorrison — 45.45°N, 108.10°WMorrison — 35.32°N, 106.31°WMorrison — 35.58°N, 106.94°WMorrison — 37.53°N, 103.68°WMorrison — 38.32°N, 108.83°WMorrison — 41.92°N, 106.36°WMorrison — 39.17°N, 108.77°WMorrison — 37.02°N, 109.56°WMorrison — 39.08°N, 108.65°WMorrison — 42.15°N, 105.89°WMorrison — 44.23°N, 103.38°WMorrison — 40.50°N, 109.17°WMorrison — 44.02°N, 104.24°WMorrison — 44.84°N, 109.21°WMorrison — 44.09°N, 106.78°WMorrison — 44.68°N, 104.61°WMorrison — 42.18°N, 106.32°WMorrison — 38.25°N, 110.81°WMorrison — 38.71°N, 109.74°WMorrison — 38.92°N, 109.94°WMorrison — 38.97°N, 109.32°WTendaguru — 9.71°S, 39.23°ETendaguru — 9.69°S, 39.25°ETendaguru — 9.79°S, 39.12°ETendaguru — 9.80°S, 39.31°ELameta — 21.18°N, 80.37°ELameta — 23.35°N, 80.37°ELameta — 23.17°N, 79.97°ELameta — 23.06°N, 73.34°ELameta — 17.33°N, 78.21°ELameta — 20.25°N, 79.10°ELameta — 20.90°N, 79.28°ELameta — 20.75°N, 79.48°ELameta — 22.34°N, 74.79°ELameta — 23.50°N, 81.56°ELameta — 23.10°N, 73.38°ELameta — 22.99°N, 73.34°ELameta — 22.96°N, 74.22°ELameta — 22.95°N, 74.14°ELameta — 22.86°N, 73.34°ELameta — 20.75°N, 79.42°ELameta — 22.13°N, 74.38°ELameta — 23.17°N, 79.95°ELameta — 22.89°N, 74.28°ELameta — 23.21°N, 80.10°ELameta — 23.34°N, 80.18°ELameta — 23.37°N, 80.46°ELameta — 21.00°N, 79.18°ELameta — 23.09°N, 74.15°ELameta — 22.25°N, 74.61°ELameta — 22.14°N, 74.71°ELameta — 20.71°N, 79.29°ELameta — 23.17°N, 74.12°ELameta — 20.53°N, 79.27°ELameta — 23.11°N, 79.84°ELameta — 20.35°N, 79.05°ELameta — 22.29°N, 74.53°ELameta — 22.28°N, 74.60°ELameta — 21.42°N, 78.00°ELameta — 22.39°N, 75.25°ELameta — 22.37°N, 74.72°ELameta — 22.35°N, 74.75°EVitakri — 29.70°N, 69.40°EVitakri — 29.71°N, 69.49°EVitakri — 29.77°N, 69.45°EVitakri — 29.89°N, 69.70°EVitakri — 29.67°N, 69.59°EVitakri — 27.76°N, 67.17°EVitakri — 30.96°N, 69.14°EVitakri — 29.51°N, 69.87°EAllen — 39.30°S, 67.53°WAllen — 40.06°S, 66.80°WAllen — 38.76°S, 67.98°WAllen — 39.57°S, 66.98°WAllen — 38.82°S, 68.07°WAllen — 40.45°S, 66.62°WAllen — 37.52°S, 69.22°WAllen — 39.46°S, 67.34°WAllen — 39.45°S, 67.32°WAllen — 39.95°S, 66.57°WAllen — 39.94°S, 66.59°WAllen — 40.02°S, 66.71°WAllen — 40.04°S, 66.81°WAllen — 40.10°S, 66.87°WAllen — 39.75°S, 66.75°WAllen — 38.45°S, 68.69°WAllen — 39.13°S, 67.67°WAllen — 40.73°S, 67.17°WAllen — 39.50°S, 67.37°WVillar del Arzobispo — 40.66°N, 0.88°WVillar del Arzobispo — 38.67°N, 0.82°WVillar del Arzobispo — 40.12°N, 1.15°WVillar del Arzobispo — 40.63°N, 0.86°WVillar del Arzobispo — 40.28°N, 0.87°WVillar del Arzobispo — 40.69°N, 1.10°WVillar del Arzobispo — 40.56°N, 0.80°WVillar del Arzobispo — 40.58°N, 0.69°WVillar del Arzobispo — 39.93°N, 1.14°WVillar del Arzobispo — 40.37°N, 0.82°WVillar del Arzobispo — 40.24°N, 1.41°WVillar del Arzobispo — 40.28°N, 1.27°WVillar del Arzobispo — 40.67°N, 0.67°WVillar del Arzobispo — 39.90°N, 1.02°WVillar del Arzobispo — 40.35°N, 0.85°WVillar del Arzobispo — 40.33°N, 1.53°WReuchenette — 47.29°N, 7.38°EReuchenette — 47.18°N, 7.23°EReuchenette — 47.21°N, 7.27°EReuchenette — 47.21°N, 7.39°EReuchenette — 47.24°N, 7.48°EReuchenette — 47.41°N, 7.03°EReuchenette — 47.42°N, 7.11°ELourinhã — 39.04°N, 9.01°WLourinhã — 39.44°N, 9.21°WLourinhã — 39.24°N, 9.34°WLourinhã — 39.27°N, 9.33°WLourinhã — 39.80°N, 8.57°WLourinhã — 39.55°N, 8.98°WLourinhã — 39.43°N, 9.10°WLourinhã — 39.20°N, 8.15°WLourinhã — 39.11°N, 9.40°WLourinhã — 39.25°N, 9.22°WLourinhã — 39.33°N, 9.36°WLourinhã — 39.45°N, 9.21°WLourinhã — 39.85°N, 8.65°WLourinhã — 39.87°N, 8.60°WLourinhã — 39.27°N, 9.16°WLourinhã — 39.38°N, 9.32°WLourinhã — 39.17°N, 9.36°WLourinhã — 39.53°N, 9.13°WJindong — 34.91°N, 128.15°EJindong — 34.90°N, 128.15°EJindong — 34.99°N, 128.45°EJindong — 34.99°N, 128.40°EJindong — 35.07°N, 128.42°EJindong — 35.07°N, 128.28°EJindong — 35.43°N, 128.52°EJindong — 35.36°N, 128.41°EJindong — 35.10°N, 128.47°EAnacleto — 37.88°S, 68.52°WAnacleto — 38.20°S, 64.49°WAnacleto — 38.24°S, 64.40°WAnacleto — 38.84°S, 68.04°WAnacleto — 39.25°S, 68.72°WAnacleto — 37.87°S, 67.83°WAnacleto — 39.12°S, 67.65°WAnacleto — 38.82°S, 68.07°WAnacleto — 38.02°S, 68.50°WAnacleto — 38.09°S, 68.51°WAnacleto — 38.97°S, 68.05°WAnacleto — 37.45°S, 68.94°WAnacleto — 38.84°S, 68.84°WAnacleto — 37.39°S, 69.14°WAnacleto — 35.45°S, 69.73°WAnacleto — 37.13°S, 69.33°WAnacleto — 39.38°S, 67.69°WShaximiao — 28.70°N, 104.52°EShaximiao — 28.83°N, 104.13°EShaximiao — 29.41°N, 104.85°EShaximiao — 29.48°N, 104.37°EShaximiao — 32.37°N, 106.90°EShaximiao — 28.35°N, 104.78°EShaximiao — 30.10°N, 103.80°EShaximiao — 29.80°N, 104.85°EShaximiao — 30.00°N, 107.25°EShaximiao — 29.41°N, 104.77°EShaximiao — 29.22°N, 104.77°EShaximiao — 29.65°N, 104.07°EShaximiao — 30.94°N, 108.75°EShaximiao — 27.62°N, 105.55°EShaximiao — 30.85°N, 108.92°EShaximiao — 29.61°N, 104.19°EShaximiao — 29.36°N, 105.28°EWinton — 22.68°S, 143.57°EWinton — 22.18°S, 142.47°EWinton — 22.15°S, 142.57°EWinton — 22.25°S, 142.48°EWinton — 22.35°S, 143.09°EWinton — 24.42°S, 145.47°EWinton — 26.68°S, 142.59°EWinton — 22.09°S, 142.49°EWinton — 22.08°S, 143.51°EWinton — 22.38°S, 142.94°ESao Khua — 16.70°N, 102.25°ESao Khua — 16.68°N, 103.57°ESao Khua — 16.65°N, 102.25°ESao Khua — 16.13°N, 102.58°ESao Khua — 16.54°N, 104.14°ESao Khua — 16.43°N, 104.09°ESao Khua — 16.43°N, 104.00°ESao Khua — 17.00°N, 104.25°ESao Khua — 17.41°N, 102.79°ESao Khua — 17.25°N, 102.67°ESao Khua — 16.42°N, 104.67°ESao Khua — 17.88°N, 101.97°ESao Khua — 17.07°N, 104.16°ESao Khua — 17.25°N, 102.53°ESao Khua — 16.90°N, 102.65°EBroome Sandstone — 17.97°S, 122.18°EBroome Sandstone — 17.53°S, 122.15°EBroome Sandstone — 17.58°S, 122.16°EBroome Sandstone — 17.55°S, 122.15°EBroome Sandstone — 17.97°S, 122.29°ESerra da Galga — 19.72°S, 47.75°WSerra da Galga — 19.72°S, 47.74°WSerra da Galga — 19.61°S, 47.97°WSerra da Galga — 19.60°S, 47.62°WSerra da Galga — 19.63°S, 47.45°WSerra da Galga — 19.63°S, 47.23°WSerra da Galga — 19.76°S, 47.90°WCloverly — 44.98°N, 108.32°WCloverly — 45.38°N, 108.24°WCloverly — 45.45°N, 108.14°WCloverly — 45.44°N, 108.14°WCloverly — 46.32°N, 109.71°WCloverly — 45.26°N, 108.41°WCloverly — 44.54°N, 108.01°WCloverly — 44.04°N, 107.51°WCloverly — 44.65°N, 107.88°WCloverly — 44.51°N, 107.90°WCloverly — 44.50°N, 107.82°WCloverly — 44.48°N, 109.05°WCloverly — 44.44°N, 109.06°WCloverly — 45.19°N, 108.80°WCloverly — 45.80°N, 109.80°WCloverly — 45.49°N, 108.73°WAsencio — 33.87°S, 57.49°WAsencio — 33.52°S, 57.82°WAsencio — 34.20°S, 58.30°WAsencio — 34.02°S, 57.65°WAsencio — 32.66°S, 58.10°WAsencio — 34.53°S, 55.93°WAsencio — 33.06°S, 56.47°WAsencio — 33.63°S, 58.02°WAsencio — 33.72°S, 57.99°WAsencio — 33.22°S, 58.04°WAsencio — 33.12°S, 58.19°WAsencio — 32.19°S, 57.45°WAsencio — 33.00°S, 56.16°WAsencio — 32.64°S, 57.75°WAsencio — 31.93°S, 57.91°WAsencio — 33.05°S, 57.46°WAsencio — 32.39°S, 57.15°WAsencio — 32.11°S, 58.06°WAsencio — 33.86°S, 57.62°WCedar Mountain — 38.72°N, 109.69°WCedar Mountain — 39.14°N, 110.90°WCedar Mountain — 38.85°N, 109.56°WCedar Mountain — 38.83°N, 109.47°WCedar Mountain — 39.18°N, 110.11°WCedar Mountain — 40.44°N, 109.31°WCedar Mountain — 38.83°N, 109.27°WCedar Mountain — 38.82°N, 109.75°WCedar Mountain — 38.91°N, 110.11°WCedar Mountain — 38.73°N, 109.50°WCedar Mountain — 38.73°N, 109.59°WCedar Mountain — 38.94°N, 111.11°WCedar Mountain — 38.92°N, 109.69°WMaevarano — 15.90°S, 46.58°EMaevarano — 15.93°S, 46.52°EMaevarano — 16.13°S, 45.63°EMaevarano — 16.12°S, 45.74°EAdamantina — 20.80°S, 49.38°WAdamantina — 21.10°S, 49.28°WAdamantina — 21.57°S, 51.28°WAdamantina — 21.94°S, 51.37°WAdamantina — 22.12°S, 51.44°WAdamantina — 21.63°S, 51.16°WAdamantina — 19.46°S, 49.25°WAdamantina — 25.73°S, 48.58°WAdamantina — 21.33°S, 48.58°WAdamantina — 20.97°S, 49.17°WAdamantina — 19.44°S, 49.26°WAdamantina — 19.44°S, 49.24°WAdamantina — 20.92°S, 50.45°WAdamantina — 21.74°S, 51.03°WLower Red Garumnian — 42.17°N, 1.24°ELower Red Garumnian — 42.05°N, 0.97°ELower Red Garumnian — 42.17°N, 1.26°ELower Red Garumnian — 42.24°N, 1.78°ELower Red Garumnian — 42.23°N, 1.72°ELower Red Garumnian — 42.18°N, 1.85°EConques — 42.16°N, 0.97°EConques — 41.87°N, 0.88°EConques — 42.17°N, 0.91°EConques — 42.12°N, 1.05°WConques — 42.20°N, 1.77°EConques — 42.12°N, 0.99°EConques — 42.16°N, 1.06°WConques — 41.70°N, 0.63°EConques — 42.17°N, 1.89°EConques — 42.32°N, 0.58°EGriman Creek — 26.08°S, 148.54°EGriman Creek — 29.45°S, 147.78°EGriman Creek — 29.69°S, 147.63°EGriman Creek — 29.45°S, 147.76°EGriman Creek — 29.50°S, 147.67°EGriman Creek — 29.43°S, 147.98°EGriman Creek — 29.40°S, 147.91°ETianjialou — 34.66°N, 118.44°ETianjialou — 34.86°N, 118.43°ETianjialou — 34.71°N, 118.47°ETianjialou — 36.15°N, 119.17°ETianjialou — 34.82°N, 118.49°ETianjialou — 34.19°N, 118.34°E

Loading coastlines…

The named rock units Sauropoda has been recovered from, largest first. Drawn where the rock is now, not where it formed. 526 further formations hold fewer occurrences each and are not listed. 351 occurrences have no formation on record, which is common for older literature.

Sauropoda and its relatives

Late Cretaceous

Where Sauropoda and its relatives were recorded in the Late Cretaceous.

Found in the same rock

966 taxa

The Paleobiology Database records at least 1,611 sites for Sauropoda, and this reads 240 of them. The number is how many of those sites it was catalogued from too. The 24 sharing the most are listed.

This is not a list of everything alive at the time. It is only what has come out of the same ground as this animal and been written down.

Entered from

1,585 references

Each of the 3,583 occurrences read was entered from one of these publications, ordered by how many each accounts for. This is not a search for papers mentioning the name. 1,573 further references are not listed. Entries link to doi.org where the Paleobiology Database holds an identifier, and to its own record where it does not. Relayed as the Paleobiology Database holds them, not checked against what they resolve to.

Media and terms

Media content2

Picture of Sauropoda

Credit
User:Zissoudisctrucker Thomas Quine Richard Mortel User:Zhangzhugang User:Morosaurus millenii User:Sainterx
Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0
Commercial use
the licence allows it

Photogrammetry

Licence
not stated by the source
Commercial use
cannot be read from the licence given — check the record
Specimen
Sauropoda indet. · MUJA:MUJA:Les Vinaes 1

Smithsonian Open Access was not reached for this taxon, so this list is what the others held rather than everything there is.

The description on this site

Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0

This is what the site found, which is not the same as what exists.

Keep going

What may have been alongside itSauropodiformes through timeFormations of the Late CretaceousThe world it lived on

Occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database, CC BY 4.0. (Marsh 1878)