Rebbachisaurus
Sign in to saveRebbachisaurus (meaning "Aït Rebbach lizard") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Africa during the Late Cretaceous period, between 99 and 97 million years ago. The only valid species is R. garasbae. However, two other species have been assigned to the genus; R. tessonei, now Limaysaurus tessonei, and the nomen dubium R. tamesnensis. Known from a single, incomplete skeleton, much of R. garasbae's anatomy is unknown. The skeleton, discovered in 1948, was unearthed in the Errachidia Province of Morocco from strata of the Kem Kem Beds.
Article
9 sectionsContents
- Discovery and species
- Other species
- ''R. tamesnensis''
- ''R. tessonei''
- Description
- Classification
- Paleobiology
- Paleoecology
- References
Rebbachisaurus (meaning "Aït Rebbach lizard") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Africa during the Late Cretaceous period, between 99 and 97 million years ago. The only valid species is R. garasbae. However, two other species have been assigned to the genus; R. tessonei, now Limaysaurus tessonei, and the nomen dubium R. tamesnensis. Known from a single, incomplete skeleton, much of R. garasbae's anatomy is unknown. The skeleton, discovered in 1948, was unearthed in the Errachidia Province of Morocco from strata of the Kem Kem Beds.
Like other rebbachisaurids, Rebbachisaurus was a four-legged herbivore with a long neck ending in a relatively large head. Although once thought to be as long as in length, more recent estimates place it at long and weighing . This would make it small for a sauropod but among the largest known rebbachisaurids. Its dorsal vertebrae are characterized by their tall and large , which held extensive air sacs. Its vertebrae are very tall and reach up to tall, while those of South American rebbachisaurids get to only around tall. Its humerus is somewhat robust for a rebbachisaurid. It has an estimated complete length of and a greatly expanded proximal (towards body) end.