Quaesitosaurus

The Quaesitosaurus was a sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous Period, approximately 86 million years ago. This dinosaur belonged to the family Nemegtosauridae, which included other titanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs. 

Key facts

DomainDescription
Quaesitosaurus pronunciationKwee-siet-oh-sore-us
What does Quaesitosaurus mean?Extraordinary lizard
Dinosaur typeSauropod
On the menuHerbivore
Length75’ (23 meters)
Height25’ (7.6 meters)
Weight7 tons (6,350 kgs)
Life expectancy80-100 years.
Legs used to get aroundQuadrupedal dinosaur
Estimated top speedBelieved to have been a slow dinosaur
When they livedLate Cretaceous Period, which was 86-84 million years ago.
Where they have been found?Mongolia in Asia

When & Where

The remains of the Quaesitosaurus were discovered in 1971, during a united Soviet-Mongolian Paleontological Expedition. It included an incomplete skull and mandible located in the  Upper Cretaceous bluffs of the Barun Goyot Formation near Shar Tsav, Mongolia.

Size & Weight

Although there is not enough evidence about the size and weight of the Quaesitosaurus, studies suggest that this dinosaur can reach a length of 75’(23 meters), a height of 25’ (7.6 meters), and a weight of up to 7 tons (6,350 kg).

Mobility & Diet

The Quaesitosaurus was a herbivore. This dinosaur likely ate plant materials such as twigs, leaves, ferns, conifers, clubmosses, horsetails, and aquatic plants as well.

Interesting Points

  • This dinosaur was named “extraordinary” due to the fact that its skull was of a unique shape. 
  • There had only been one specimen found by paleontologists of this dinosaur. 

Featured Image Credit: FunkMonk (Michael B. H.), CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons