
Dinosaur profile
Melanorosaurus
Pronunciation
Meh-lan-os-sore-us
Black mountain lizard
Sauropod
8 - 12 meters long
Late Triassic
227-221 million years ago
South Africa
DietHerbivore
About Melanorosaurus
Melanorosaurus is a genus of herbivorous sauropod dinosaur that lived in the Late Triassic Period, around 210 million years ago. It was a large, long-necked dinosaur that probably fed on low-lying vegetation. Its fossils have been found in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The name Melanorosaurus means 'black mountain lizard', and it was named after the location where its fossils were discovered: the Black Mountain in South Africa. The type species of Melanorosaurus is M. readi. It was a relatively small sauropod, with an estimated length of around 8-9 meters and a weight of around 2-3 metric tons. Its body was slender and its neck was long and flexible, allowing it to reach up and down to feed on different types of vegetation. Melanorosaurus would have walked on all fours, with its body supported by column-like legs. It is thought to be closely related to other sauropod dinosaurs such as Plateosaurus and Massospondylus.
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