Massospondylus
MASS-oh-SPON-dih-lus
"longer vertebra"
Type species Massospondylus carinatus
- Lived
- 201 to 175 million years ago, Early Jurassic
- Length
- about 4 m (13 ft)
- Group
- Early sauropodomorphs, Massospondylidae
- Found in
- South Africa, Zimbabwe and Lesotho
- Named by
- Owen 1854
Size comparison
To scale
Scale in meters
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
190 million years ago
Also reported from Namibia.
Habitat
Its southern African home included river plains and sandy landscapes with dry intervals. Heterodontosaurus, Lesothosaurus and Dracovenator lived in the region.
Field notes
About Massospondylus
What it was like
Massospondylus was an early relative of the sauropods, with a small head, a long neck and tail, and a slender body. It grew to about 4 meters (13 feet) long. Its hands each carried a sharp thumb claw, probably used to grip branches or defend itself.
Long thought to have walked on four legs, Massospondylus is now considered to have been bipedal, at least as an adult. It was probably a plant eater, though some researchers think early relatives of the sauropods like it may have also eaten small animals.
Its world
Massospondylus lived from about 201 to 175 million years ago, in the Early Jurassic, across what is now South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho, with possible finds also reported from Namibia. Its bones come from formations including Elliot, Clarens, Forest Sandstone, and Mpandi.
It shared its world with the small plant eater Heterodontosaurus, the early armored Lesothosaurus, and hunters such as Megapnosaurus and Dracovenator.
How it was found
Owen named Massospondylus in 1854, making it one of the earliest dinosaurs ever named. About 36 finds of the genus are known today, including clutches of eggs with embryos inside, among the oldest such fossils known. The type species is Massospondylus carinatus.
Field gallery
More views of Massospondylus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 7
Lived alongside
Found in the same rock formations
A rock formation can hold fossils laid down millions of years apart, so not every animal here met Massospondylus.
The evidence
The science behind Massospondylus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- Adult skeletons show a small head, a long neck and tail, and powerful hindlegs.
- Hands preserve large, curved thumb claws that faced inward.
- Egg clutches, embryos and a hatchling document its earliest growth stages.
Borrowed from relatives
- Most of its body is known from its own bones.
- Lufengosaurus and other early sauropodomorphs provide comparisons for details of its skull.
Still unknown
- Its color and detailed skin covering.
- Whether adults guarded nests or fed their young.
- Exactly when growing youngsters changed their walking posture.
Often drawn wrong
- Adults are often shown walking like heavy, four-footed sauropods; their proportions support walking on the hindlegs.
- Newly hatched young are sometimes drawn as miniature adults, with necks too long and heads too small.
- Downward-facing palms replace the inward-facing hands.
Discovery timeline
- 1854Named itOwen
- 2010Growing upReisz et al.
- 2012Fossil sitesReisz et al.
- 2018SkullChapelle & Choiniere
- 2025Growing upMooney et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Massospondylus
Named it
Named Massospondylus from South African bones, drawing attention to its elongated vertebrae.
Descriptive catalogue of the Fossil organic remains of Reptilia and Pisces contained in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. London.
No link available
Growing up
Described embryos inside eggs, revealing large heads, short necks and limb proportions that suggested four-footed hatchlings.
Embryonic skeletal anatomy of the sauropodomorph dinosaurMassospondylusfrom the Lower Jurassic of South Africa. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30: 1653-1665
Read the paper : Embryonic skeletal anatomy of the sauropodomorph dinosaurMassospondylusfrom the Lower Jurassic of South Africa (opens in a new tab)Fossil sites
Found egg clutches at several levels in the same site, suggesting that Massospondylus returned to nesting grounds over time.
Oldest known dinosaurian nesting site and reproductive biology of the Early Jurassic sauropodomorph Massospondylus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109: 2428-2433
Read the paper : Oldest known dinosaurian nesting site and reproductive biology of the Early Jurassic sauropodomorph Massospondylus (opens in a new tab)Skull
Used detailed scans to describe the skull and braincase and identify features useful for separating Massospondylus from its relatives.
A revised cranial description ofMassospondylus carinatusOwen (Dinosauria: Sauropodomorpha) based on computed tomographic scans and a review of cranial characters for basal Sauropodomorpha. PeerJ 6: e4224
Read the paper : A revised cranial description ofMassospondylus carinatusOwen (Dinosauria: Sauropodomorpha) based on computed tomographic scans and a review of cranial characters for basal Sauropodomorpha (opens in a new tab)Growing up
Compared embryos, a hatchling and older animals, tracing changes in head, neck, limb and thumb-claw proportions during growth.
Massospondylus embryos and hatchling provide new insights into early sauropodomorph ontogeny. Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 144
Read the paper : Massospondylus embryos and hatchling provide new insights into early sauropodomorph ontogeny (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Massospondylidae
Sources: Wikidata