Melanorosaurus

Melanorosaurus was a substantial sauropodomorph dinosaur that roamed the river plains of southern Africa during the Late Triassic. Named after the Black Mountain locality in the Transkei region, it played a critical role in the evolution of gigantism among herbivorous dinosaurs. Stretching roughly eight to ten metres in length and tipping the scales at up to three tonnes, Melanorosaurus moved on all four legs, supported by columnar, pillar-like limb bones. While it retained primitive features such as five digits on each hand and foot, its modified weight-bearing joints foreshadowed the massive anatomical adaptations seen in the true sauropods of the subsequent Jurassic. Its diet consisted of conifer needles, seed ferns, and cycads, plucked by broad, spatula-shaped teeth and digested within an expansive gut. Melanorosaurus shows that near-sauropod body plans were already flourishing before the Triassic ended.

It represents one of the earliest examples of fully quadrupedal, heavy-bodied dinosaurian herbivores.

Where and when

Melanorosaurus lived in the Late Triassic, from 215 to 200 million years ago (Norian-Rhaetian age). Its remains come from South Africa, in the Lower Elliot Formation.

The numbers

Length 9 m (estimates run from 8 to 10 m). Mass about 2.1 t. Hip height about 2.2 m. That is 5.3 human-lengths, or 0.8 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from partial skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, first ma, last ma, hip height.

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