Dino card No. 1212 of 2,027

Morosaurus

Say it: MOR-oh-SORE-us

Name means: “stupid lizard”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksLate Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Morosaurus was a huge, long-necked plant-eater that lived in what is now Portugal. It had a very small brain for its giant body, which is why its name means 'stupid lizard'. Scientists now think Morosaurus is actually the same as another dinosaur called Camarasaurus.1 2

Lived

162 to 143 million years ago4

Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Portugal4 2

Food

Plants2 1

Length

10 to 15 m1

estimate based on related Camarasaurus

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

as long as 3 cars parked in a rowas long as 83 bananas end to end

How big was Morosaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Morosaurus was named by the famous fossil hunter Othniel Charles Marsh in 1878. He thought it was very sluggish because its brain was tiny compared to its body.1

The name Morosaurus comes from Greek words meaning 'stupid lizard'. Marsh wrote that its brain was 'proportionately smaller than in any known vertebrate'.1

Morosaurus is now considered a synonym of Camarasaurus, which means the two names refer to the same group of dinosaurs. Camarasaurus was named just one year earlier, so that name is used instead.1 4

Fossils of Morosaurus have been found in Portugal, in rocks that are about 152 to 149 million years old. That was during the Late Jurassic period.2

Like other sauropods, Morosaurus had a long neck and tail, a bulky body, and walked on four pillar-like legs. It probably lived in herds.2

AI-made picture of Morosaurus — An AI-made picture of how Morosaurus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Morosaurus

?How big was Morosaurus?

Morosaurus is now considered the same as Camarasaurus. The most common species, Camarasaurus lentus, was about 15 metres (49 feet) long. A larger species, Camarasaurus supremus, was even bigger.3

?What did Morosaurus eat?

Morosaurus was a plant-eater. It had spoon-shaped teeth and strong jaws for chewing tough plants.3

?Is Morosaurus a dinosaur?

Yes, Morosaurus is a dinosaur. It is a type of sauropod, a long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur.1

?When did Morosaurus live?

Morosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic Period, about 155 to 145 million years ago.3

?Where was Morosaurus found?

Fossils of Morosaurus have been found in Portugal and in the western United States, in places like Wyoming and Colorado.1 3

?Was Morosaurus bigger than T. rex?

Yes, Morosaurus was much bigger than T. rex. The most common species was about 15 metres (49 feet) long, while T. rex was about 12 metres (40 feet) long.3

?Did Morosaurus have feathers?

No, Morosaurus did not have feathers. It was a sauropod with scaly skin.3

?How fast could Morosaurus run?

Scientists do not know exactly how fast Morosaurus could run. As a large, heavy sauropod, it probably moved slowly, like an elephant.3

?What does the name Camarasaurus mean?

Camarasaurus means 'chambered lizard'. It refers to the hollow chambers in its neck and back bones.3

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Morosaurus
Named by: Marsh 18784
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Camarasauridae4
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Macronaria4
Age of the rocks: 162 to 143 million years (Oxfordian / Tithonian)4
Rock formations: Alcobaça4
Countries: Portugal4
Fossil records: 138 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Morosaurus was named by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1878 based on fossils from the Morrison Formation in the United States. Later, scientists realized it was the same as Camarasaurus, which had been named by Edward Drinker Cope in 1877.1 4
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if Morosaurus marchei from Portugal is truly a separate species or just a Camarasaurus. The fossils are very incomplete, only a tooth and a tail bone.1 2

Where the facts come from

Camarasaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Camarasaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Morosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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