Rhoetosaurus

Rhoe-toe-sore-us.
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Claire Morris

Marine Paleontologist

Claire Morris has dedicated her career to exploring the depths of prehistoric oceans. Her fascination with ancient marine life has led her to discover significant fossils that illuminate the evolution of early sea creatures.

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Name

Rhoetosaurus (Rhoetos lizard).

Phonetic

Rhoe-toe-sore-us.

Named By

Heber Longman - 1926.

Classification

Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Sauropodomorpha, Sauropoda.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

R. brownei

Size

Estimated 12-15 meters long.

Known locations

Australia, Queensland - Hutton Sandstone Formation.

Time Period

Oxfordian of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Partial remains including ribs, rear limbs, ischium, partial pubis, caudal and dorsal vertebrae, small amount of cervical vertebrae. Other specimens have been found since initial discovery.

In Depth

       Rhoetosaurus was the first sauropod dinosaur discovered in Australia, and for a long time it was one of only two sauropods, the other being Austrosaurus, known to have come from there. In 2009 two other sauropods called Diamantinasaurus and Wintonotitan were named, although all four are only represented by partial remains.

       Although it is widely thought that Rhoetosaurus comes from the Bajocian period, there is some uncertainty to this.

Further Reading

– A giant dinosaur from Durham Downs, Queensland – Heber A. Longman – 1926. – The giant dinosaur Rhoetosaurus brownei – Heber A. Longman – 1927. – New anatomical information on Rhoetosaurus brownei Longman, 1926, a gravisaurian sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Queensland, Australia. – Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 32 (2): 369–94. – Jay P. Nair & Steven W. Salisbury – 2012. – Refined age and geological context of two of Australia’s mostimportant Jurassic vertebrate taxa (Rhoetosaurus brownei and Siderops kehli), Queensland. – Gondwana Research. – C. N. Todd, E. M. Roberts, E. M. Knutsen, A. C. Rozefelds, H. -Q.Huang & Spandler – 2019.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT