Sauroposeidon

Filed under Cretaceous dinosaurs · Types of Dinosaurs editorial team

Order: Saurischia · Suborder: Sauropoda · Infraorder: Titanosauriformes · Family: Brachiosauridae (family not firmly confirmed)

Sauroposeidon was an enormous long-necked sauropod that roamed North America during the Early Cretaceous period. Its name derives from Poseidon, the Greek god of earthquakes, combined with the Greek word for lizard—a fitting designation for a creature of such immense proportions. Belonging to the family Brachiosauridae, Sauroposeidon is estimated to have measured between 90 and 112 feet in length, making it one of the longest dinosaurs known to science.

Most of what paleontologists understand about Sauroposeidon comes from a remarkable set of neck vertebrae discovered in Oklahoma, with individual vertebrae exceeding one metre in length. These extraordinary fossil remains suggest that Sauroposeidon was probably among the tallest dinosaurs ever to have existed. Like its relative Brachiosaurus, Sauroposeidon was a herbivore with an exceptionally long neck held high above its body, allowing it to feed on vegetation far beyond the reach of other creatures. The animal's anatomy would have enabled it to raise its head many metres into the air, functioning much like a giraffe-like giant within its ecosystem and accessing foliage that other dinosaurs could not obtain.

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Reference background: Natural History Museum, London — Dinosaurs; Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Dinosaurs; American Museum of Natural History — Dinosaurs & Fossils. Figures are typical published ranges; taxonomy follows the source era and modern consensus is noted where it differs. See our sources & fact-check policy.

Related dinosaurs

Other dinosaurs from the Brachiosauridae family.