Australodocus

Australodocus lived during the Late Jurassic in what is now Tanzania, unearthed from the fossil-rich beds of the Tendaguru Formation. The genus is known primarily from a series of neck vertebrae collected during German expeditions in the early twentieth century. It was originally classified as a diplodocid sauropod, which would have represented an important southern record for that group. Subsequent re-evaluations of the pneumatic structures in its cervical vertebrae revealed that it actually belongs to Somphospondyli, a lineage of titanosauriforms. Australodocus coexisted alongside an extraordinary array of other sauropods, including Giraffatitan, Dicraeosaurus, and Janenschia. It had an elongated neck used to reach mid-to-high vegetation, browsing on conifers and cycads. Because its known skeletal remains are modest, overall dimensions remain estimated by comparison with more completely known basal titanosauriform relatives.

Originally described as a diplodocid, recent anatomical analyses demonstrate it was actually a titanosauriform.

Where and when

Australodocus lived in the Late Jurassic, from 152.1 to 145 million years ago (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian age). Its remains come from Tanzania, in the Tendaguru Formation.

The numbers

Length 16 m (estimates run from 15 to 17 m). Mass about 9.8 t. Hip height about 3.5 m. That is 9.4 human-lengths, or 1.43 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from fragmentary remains; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, hip height.

Compare Australodocus with a bus Place on the timeline