Name:
Melanorosaurus (Greek for "Black Mountain lizard"); pronounced meh-LAN-oh-roe-SORE-us
Habitat:
Woodlands of South Africa
Historical Period:
Late Triassic (225-205 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 35 feet long and 2-3 tons
Diet:
Plants
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Large size; thick legs
About Melanorosaurus:
Just as its distant cousins, the sauropods, dominated the later Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, Melanorosaurus was the largest prosauropod of the Triassic period, and very possibly the largest land creature of its time. Save for its relatively short neck and tail, Melanorosaurus showed all the adaptations typical of later sauropods, including a heavy trunk and sturdy, tree-trunk-like legs. It was probably a close relative of another contemporary South American prosauropod, Riojasaurus.
