Sauropods the largest of the all the Dinosaurs.

Where were Sauropods first discovered?

Fossilised skeletons of Sauropods were first discovered in England, however these small numbers of remains were not classified as Sauropods until much later. English man Edward Lhuyd was the first to discover what we now know to be a Sauropod in 1699, after discovering a single tooth of a large Sauropod.

Over the next century many types of Sauropod bones were found. However, it wasn’t until 1878, when (at the time) a near complete Sauropod skeleton was found by Othniel Charles Marsh. Othniel Charles Marsh went on to name it Diplodocus.

Unlike many other types of Dinosaurs such as theropods whose remains are normally found in certain concentrated areas of the world, fossilised remains of sauropods have been found across the world and every major continent was once home to a classification of Sauropods, including Antarctica!

HOW BIG COULD SAUROPODS GET?

You don’t have to be a palaeontologist to realise that Sauropods are best known for their shear size, with some Sauropods classifications being the largest animals ever to walk the Earth. For an animal this as big as a Sauropod you’d probably think they we’re slow moving, and you’d be right at around 5mph.

In terms of body structure Sauropods were all actually pretty similar, and didn’t deviate from having long necks, small heads, long tails and large bodies.

NEW ScientiFIC DISCOVERIES 

Scientists are constantly discovering new evidence of even larger Sauropods all the time. In 2017 a footprint was discovered that was five and half feet long, so one can only imagine the size of the animal that made those footprints.

In 2021 scientists released information regarding a new type of Sauropod discovered in Argentina called a “Titanosaur”. Unfortunately only the pelvic bones and vertebrae were discovered however, the sheer size of this Sauropods remains were enough to show how large this animal was.

It was referred to by some Palaeontologist as a “super-sized titanosaur”. We hope that further details of this huge Sauropod are released soon.

Herding and parental care

There is a lot of scientific evidence which shows that Sauropods would have lived and moved in herds. Many mass graves have been found with Sauropods of many different ages all together. Furthermore, other fossil sites uncovered by Palaeontologist show that if Sauropods did form a herd, these herds of Sauropods would have all been roughly the same age.

Further evidence of this is shown in much younger Sauropods from their diet, so young Sauropods may have created their own herd. When you think about it logically it does make sense if you’re a young Sauropod to stay a little clear of your 60-tonne mother. 

The jury is still out on the level of parental care Sauropods gave their young. Some scientists believe that the young could have been looked after until adulthood, and some suggest a much earlier transition in terms of fending for themselves.