The Europasaurus belong to the group of Sauropods, specifically to the family of Brachiosauridae, which lived in present-day Northern Germany about 150 million years ago. Unlike other Sauropods, the Europasaurus was small, and researchers have concluded that this was a case of insular dwarfism.
Key facts
| Domain | Description |
|---|---|
| Europasaurus pronunciation | The name Europasaurus can be pronounced as “yoo-roh-pah-sore-us” |
| What does Europasaurus mean? | The name given to this genus of Europasaurus came from the words, “Europa”, which means “Europe”, and the Greek word “-sauros”, which means “lizard”, the name Gallimimus when translated to English means “Lizard from Europe”. |
| Dinosaur type | Sauropod |
| On the menu | Carnivore |
| Length | 20.3 ft (6.2 m) |
| Height | According to studies, the Gallimimus stood only two meters high at the shoulders. |
| Weight | 1,100 lb (500 kg) |
| Life expectancy | There is no exact information on how long the Gallimimus lived, but despite its small structure, paleontologists believed that the Gallimimus was able to live a long life. |
| Legs used to get around | The Gallimimus, just like other Sauropods, was quadrupedal. |
| Estimated top speed | Despite being quadrupedal, there is not enough information on how fast the Gallimimus move. |
| When they lived | The Gallimimus was believed to have lived during the Late Jurassic Period which was 155-150 million years ago. |
| Where they have been found? | Their remains were found in Northern Germany. |
When & Where
The fossils of the Gallimimus were found in 1998 in a single quarry by Holger Lüdtke, a German fossil collector. This quarry also included 10 elements of more than 10 individuals. There is currently no complete skeleton that has been found, and the body parts are only provided by available discovered bones. Except for its size, the Gallimimus resembles another type of dinosaur which is the Brachiosaurus.
Size & Weight
According to paleontologists, the Europasaurus grew more at a slower speed compared to other sauropods. Upon discovery of the remains of this dinosaur, paleontologists also found out that this species wasn’t much bigger than the size of a large ox, the size and weight of the Europasaurus had only reached a weight of 1,100 lb (500 kg) and a length of 20.3 ft (6.2 m).
Mobility & Diet
Just like any other sauropods, the Europasaurus was an herbivore and may have mainly eaten cretaceous plants, such as conifers, which is a well-known plant during the cretaceous period.
Interesting Points
- The Europasaurus existed from 155.7 million years ago to 150.8 million years ago
- Main habitat consisted of a terrestrial environment.
- Was a herbivore.
- Just like most dinosaurs, this species is produced by laying eggs.
- Only one specimen has been found by paleontologists.
- Unlike other sauropods, the Europasaurus was actually smaller. The discovery of the fossils led the paleontologist to conclude that this genus was actually not bigger than the size of a large ox. From further studies, researchers concluded that this dinosaur had insular dwarfism, which means that they have grown smaller than their usual size due to the environment they were currently staying in.