Chebsaurus
"young lizard"
Type species Chebsaurus algeriensis
- Lived
- 165 to 162 million years ago, Middle Jurassic
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Group
- Sauropods, Cetiosauridae
- Found in
- Algeria
- Named by
- Mahammed et al. 2005
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
165 million years ago
Habitat
It lived on land in what is now Algeria during the Middle Jurassic.
Field notes
About Chebsaurus
What it was like
Chebsaurus was a long-necked, four-legged plant eater known from a partial skeleton of a young animal, the most complete sauropod found in Algeria.
Its world
It lived in the Middle Jurassic in what is now Algeria. Its bones come from the Aïssa Formation.
How it was found
Mahammed and colleagues named Chebsaurus in 2005, from a single find. Its name comes from a local word for a young person.
Field gallery
More views of Chebsaurus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 2
The evidence
The science behind Chebsaurus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- The first skeleton includes vertebrae whose upper arches had not fused; a second young individual, referred to Chebsaurus, adds paired upper-jaw front bones and braincase pieces.
- Its teeth have broad, spoon-shaped crowns. Marks first described as tooth serrations were preparation artifacts.
- A bone first identified as part of the upper arm was later recognized as part of the shoulder girdle.
Borrowed from relatives
- Its missing skull roof, cheek, jaw front, neck, trunk and upper limbs are restored after Mamenchisaurus.
Still unknown
- Its fully grown size, adult proportions and complete skull shape.
- Its exact relationship to other early sauropods.
- Its skin covering and color.
Discovery timeline
- 2002Family treeUpchurch & Martin
- 2005Named itMahammed et al.
- 2010Full descriptionLäng & Mahammed
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Chebsaurus
Family tree
Described a Cetiosaurus skeleton and its relationships among Middle Jurassic sauropods, a group Chebsaurus has been compared with.
The Rutland Cetiosaurus: the anatomy and relationships of a Middle Jurassic British sauropod dinosaur. Palaeontology 45: 1049-1074
Read the paper : The Rutland Cetiosaurus: the anatomy and relationships of a Middle Jurassic British sauropod dinosaur (opens in a new tab)Named it
Introduced Chebsaurus from a young sauropod's partial skeleton, including skull pieces and teeth.
The ‘Giant of Ksour’, a Middle Jurassic sauropod dinosaur from Algeria. Comptes Rendus Palevol 4: 707-714
Read the paper : The ‘Giant of Ksour’, a Middle Jurassic sauropod dinosaur from Algeria (opens in a new tab)Full description
Added skull and body bones from juvenile animals, corrected earlier bone identifications and left its relationships among early sauropods unresolved.
New anatomical data and phylogenetic relationships ofChebsaurus algeriensis(Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Middle Jurassic of Algeria. Historical Biology 22: 142-164
Read the paper : New anatomical data and phylogenetic relationships ofChebsaurus algeriensis(Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Middle Jurassic of Algeria (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Cetiosauridae
Sources: Wikidata