Atlasaurus
"Atlas lizard"
Type species Atlasaurus imelakei
- Lived
- 168 to 165 million years ago, Middle Jurassic
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Group
- Sauropods
- Found in
- Morocco
- Named by
- Monbaron et al. 1999
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
165 million years ago
Habitat
Rivers deposited the sands of the Guettioua Formation in what is now Morocco. Other dinosaurs from Middle Jurassic rocks elsewhere in Morocco include Cetiosaurus and Adratiklit.
Field notes
About Atlasaurus
What it was like
Atlasaurus was a large long-necked sauropod with very long legs. It is known from a nearly complete skeleton.
Its world
It lived about 168 to 165 million years ago, in the Middle Jurassic, in what is now Morocco. Its bones come from the Guettioua Formation.
How it was found
Monbaron and colleagues named it in 1999. The type species is Atlasaurus imelakei. It is named after the mountains where it was found.
Field gallery
More views of Atlasaurus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 3
The evidence
The science behind Atlasaurus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- A nearly complete skeleton includes skull bones, the backbone and the exceptionally long limbs.
- Compared with Brachiosaurus, it had a larger head, a shorter neck and a longer tail relative to its trunk.
- The front of its lower jaw is sturdy, and the front tooth rows curve round in a U shape.
Borrowed from relatives
- Almost the whole skeleton is known from its own bones, so its unusual body proportions come directly from Atlasaurus.
- Skin and other soft parts are restored by comparison with other sauropods.
Still unknown
- Its skin texture and color.
- How its proportions changed as it grew.
- Its branch of the sauropod family tree: studies have placed it just outside Neosauropoda, among early Macronaria, or with the turiasaurs.
Discovery timeline
- 1999Named itMonbaron, Russell & Taquet
- 2004SkullAllain et al.
- 2012Family treeD'EMIC
- 2013Family treeMannion et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Atlasaurus
Named it
Described a nearly complete sauropod skeleton with very long limbs and compared its proportions with Brachiosaurus.
Atlasaurus imelakei n.g., n.sp., a brachiosaurid-like sauropod from the Middle Jurassic of Morocco alen. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences - Series IIA - Earth and Planetary Science 329: 519-526
Read the paper : Atlasaurus imelakei n.g., n.sp., a brachiosaurid-like sauropod from the Middle Jurassic of Morocco alen (opens in a new tab)Skull
Described an older Moroccan sauropod, Tazoudasaurus, and noted that Atlasaurus has a sturdier jaw front, with front tooth rows that curve in a U shape.
A basal sauropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic of Morocco. Comptes Rendus Palevol 3: 199-208
Read the paper : A basal sauropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic of Morocco (opens in a new tab)Family tree
Listed features that set Atlasaurus apart, such as broad bony wings at the back of the skull and a long forearm, and tentatively placed it just outside Neosauropoda.
The early evolution of titanosauriform sauropod dinosaurs. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 166: 624-671
Read the paper : The early evolution of titanosauriform sauropod dinosaurs (opens in a new tab)Family tree
Compared sauropod relationships and placed Atlasaurus outside the group containing Brachiosaurus and the titanosaurs.
Osteology of the Late Jurassic Portuguese sauropod dinosaurLusotitan atalaiensis(Macronaria) and the evolutionary history of basal titanosauriforms. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 168: 98-206
Read the paper : Osteology of the Late Jurassic Portuguese sauropod dinosaurLusotitan atalaiensis(Macronaria) and the evolutionary history of basal titanosauriforms (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Macronaria
Sources: Wikidata