Sauropoda

Sauropod means “Lizard-Footed”. Sauropods travel in herds to protect each other. The sauropod is the largest land animal ever to have lived. They have long necks, 4 stumpy legs, long tails to counterbalance the long necks, small heads and small brains, nostrils high up on the skull and blunt teeth. Some sauropods have body armour to protect itself from other dinosaurs. They are found on all the continents except Antarctica. They lived in places with a lot of water and trees.

Diet

The Sauropod is a herbivorous reptile. It's main food source is conifers. The sauropod also have other source of food, for example, gingkoes, seed ferns, cycads, Bennettitales and ferns.

Time period

The sauropod appeared in the Late Triassic. It began to appear in the Middle Jurassic. The sauropod had survived for around 100 million years. They are the most long-lived groups of dinosaurs.

Size

The sauropod ranged in size from 7–10 ft (2-3m). Their necks were about 46 ft (14m).They probably used their long necks like a giraffes, to get leaves that are high in the trees. The largest sauropod dinosaurs were close to 100 tonnes which is 10 time the record weight of a modern elephant.

References

1. “Enchanted Learning”. Enchanting Learning. Retrieved 2015-05-21
2. BBC. “Sauropod dinosaurs”. Retrieved 2015-05-21
3. Smith, Dave. “The Sauropod Dinosaurs. UCMP Berkeley. Retrieved 2015-05-21

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