Rebbachisaurus

Rebbachisaurus was a large sauropod that lived in northern Africa during the mid-Cretaceous period, roughly 98 million years ago. Discovered in Morocco by French palaeontologist René Lavocat, this dinosaur is estimated to have measured up to twenty metres in length. It is the founding member of the family Rebbachisauridae, which represented the last surviving branch of the diplodocoid line. Its defining feature was the presence of extraordinarily tall, paddle-shaped neural spines on its back vertebrae, which likely supported a muscular ridge or low sail. Rebbachisaurus fed on lush riverbank vegetation in tropical deltas, where it shared its swampy environment with famous predators such as Spinosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus.

5 metres high, supporting a dorsal ridge.

Where and when

Rebbachisaurus lived in the Late Cretaceous, from 100.5 to 93.9 million years ago (Cenomanian age). Its remains come from Morocco, in the Kem Kem Group.

The numbers

Length 17 m (estimates run from 14 to 20 m). Mass about 9.2 t. Hip height about 4 m. That is 10 human-lengths, or 1.52 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from fragmentary remains; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, first ma, last ma, hip height.

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