Question 1

How do you say Supersaurus?

Accepted Answer

Supersaurus is pronounced sue-per-SORE-us. Break it into three chunks: SOO (like the name Sue), per (like the word per), and SORE-us (like a sore muscle, then just add us). The stress lands on the SORE part, so say it with a little extra punch there. Once you have it, try saying it fast: SOO-per-SORE-us!

Question 2

What does Supersaurus mean?

Accepted Answer

Supersaurus literally means super lizard. The first part, super, comes from Latin and means above or beyond. The second part, saurus, comes from the Ancient Greek word sauros, which means lizard. Paleontologist James Jensen chose the name in 1985 because the bones were so much larger than anything else he had excavated from North American sauropods. The species name vivianae honors Vivian Jones, the Colorado fossil hunter who first discovered the bones in 1972.

Question 3

How big was Supersaurus?

Accepted Answer

Supersaurus was enormous, even by dinosaur standards. The three known specimens measured between 33 and 40 meters long, which is 108 to 131 feet, and the largest individual may have exceeded 40 meters. That makes it longer than a blue whale and possibly the longest animal ever to walk on land. It weighed somewhere between 35 and 44 metric tons, roughly equal to six or seven African elephants stacked on scales.

Question 4

Was Supersaurus the biggest dinosaur ever?

Accepted Answer

Supersaurus is a serious contender for the title of longest dinosaur ever discovered. In terms of sheer length, it rivals or beats giants like Patagotitan mayorum and Argentinosaurus. The largest Supersaurus individual may have exceeded 40 meters, which puts it at the very top of the length charts. However, some South American titanosaurs were likely heavier, so it depends on whether you measure by length or by mass. In the length category, Supersaurus is one of the strongest champions on record.

Question 5

Where did Supersaurus live?

Accepted Answer

Supersaurus lived in what is now the western United States, with fossils found in Colorado and Wyoming. It roamed the Morrison Formation ecosystem, a wide floodplain environment that covered much of the American West during the Late Jurassic period, roughly 153 to 145 million years ago. A possible second species has also been identified from Portugal, suggesting that closely related animals lived in Europe as well when the two continents were geographically closer.

Question 6

What did Supersaurus eat?

Accepted Answer

Supersaurus was a herbivore, meaning it ate only plants. Like other diplodocids, it had pencil-shaped teeth designed for raking in and stripping leaves rather than chewing them. It swallowed vegetation whole and relied on its massive digestive system to break down tough plant matter. Its long neck allowed it to reach tree tops that no other land animal could access, giving it an enormous food source all to itself. It likely consumed hundreds of pounds of plant material every single day to fuel that giant body.

Question 7

Who discovered Supersaurus?

Accepted Answer

Supersaurus was first discovered in 1972 by Vivian Jones, an amateur fossil hunter from Delta, Colorado. She found the enormous bones eroding out of the Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation and brought them to the attention of paleontologist James Jensen at Brigham Young University. Jensen excavated the site and formally named and described Supersaurus in 1985. The species name vivianae was chosen specifically to honor Vivian Jones for her role in the discovery.

Question 8

Could Supersaurus crack its tail like a whip?

Accepted Answer

Scientists think it is very possible. Supersaurus belonged to the Diplodocidae family, and research on diplodocid tails suggests these structures were built for more than just balance. A 1997 study by paleontologist Nathan Myhrvold proposed that the thin, whip-like tips of diplodocid tails could have been swung fast enough to break the sound barrier, creating a loud crack similar to a bullwhip. This could have been used to scare off predators like Allosaurus or to communicate with other Supersaurus individuals across the open floodplains.

Supersaurus Pronunciation

Supersaurus Picture

What does Supersaurus mean?

Name Roots

Fun Facts

Learn More About Supersaurus

Related Dinosaurs