Name:
Quaesitosaurus (Greek for "extraordinary lizard"); pronounced KWAY-sit-oh-SORE-usHabitat:
Woodlands of Central AsiaHistorical Period:
Late Cretaceous (85-70 million years ago)Size and Weight:
About 75 feet long; weight unknownDiet:
PlantsDistinguishing Characteristics:
Small head with large ear openingsAbout Quaesitosaurus:
Like another titanosaur of central Asia, Nemegtosaurus, most of what we know about Quaesitosaurus has been reconstructed from a single, incomplete skull (the rest of this herbivore's body has been deduced from the more complete fossils of other sauropods). In many ways, Quaesitosaurus appears to have been a typical titanosaur, with its elongated neck and tail and bulky body (which may or may not have sported rudimentary armor). Based on analysis of the skull--which has unusually large ear openings--Quaesitosaurus may have had sharp hearing, though it's unclear if this differentiated it from other sauropods of the late Cretaceous.
