Tazoudasaurus
"Tazouda lizard"
- Lived
- 193 to 175 million years ago, Early Jurassic
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Group
- Sauropods
- Found in
- Morocco
- Named by
- Allain et al. 2004
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
185 million years ago
Habitat
River channels and floodplains in Morocco, with wet and dry seasons and nearby volcanic eruptions. Berberosaurus also lived in this region.
Field notes
About Tazoudasaurus
What it was like
Tazoudasaurus was an early sauropod, a long-necked, four-legged plant eater. It is known from parts of two skeletons, one young and one adult, including part of the skull.
It was related to Vulcanodon and shows how early sauropods looked.
Its world
It lived in the Early Jurassic in the mountains of what is now Morocco, in North Africa.
How it was found
Allain and colleagues named Tazoudasaurus in 2004, from two finds.
Field gallery
More views of Tazoudasaurus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
The evidence
The science behind Tazoudasaurus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- Slender lower jaws with teeth, parts of the skull, and bones from nearly every part of the body.
- An articulated hand with spreading fingers and a large thumb claw curved inward.
- A large, curved claw on the inner toe and flatter, blunter claws on the outer toes.
Borrowed from relatives
- Plateosaurus helps restore the missing upper snout, guided by the slender lower jaws of Tazoudasaurus.
- Much of the body is restored from its own bones, gathered from several individuals.
Still unknown
- The complete shape of its upper snout.
- Its skin texture and color.
- Whether it lived in herds or cared for its young.
Discovery timeline
- 2004Named itAllain et al.
- 2010Full descriptionPeyer & Allain
- 2025PostureLefebvre et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Tazoudasaurus
Named it
Named an early sauropod from Morocco using skull fragments and bones from the rest of the skeleton.
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)Full description
Combined bones from young and adult animals into a detailed skeletal reconstruction, with nearly the whole body represented.
A reconstruction ofTazoudasaurus naimi(Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the late Early Jurassic of Morocco. Historical Biology 22: 134-141
Read the paper : A reconstruction ofTazoudasaurus naimi(Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the late Early Jurassic of Morocco (opens in a new tab)Posture
Found that the ankle of Tazoudasaurus combined features of earlier plant eaters and later sauropods, despite its column-like limbs.
Evolution of the sauropodomorph astragalus: relationships with the emergence of the sauropod bauplan and weight-bearing function, and critical appraisal of evolutionary rate estimation. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 204
Read the paper : Evolution of the sauropodomorph astragalus: relationships with the emergence of the sauropod bauplan and weight-bearing function, and critical appraisal of evolutionary rate estimation (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Gravisauria
Sources: Wikidata