Astrophocaudia

Say it like this: “as-TRO-fo-COH-dee-uh”

Astrophocaudia slaughteri

Astrophocaudia ate plants and walked on four legs. It lived in the Early Cretaceous. Bones have been found in the United States.

Quiz me on Astrophocaudia

When: Early Cretaceous (Albian) · roughly 113.2 to 100.5 million years ago
Named in: 2012 · D'Emic, M. D.
Hip height: 2.5 m · 8 ft
Length: 10.9–18.3 m · 36–60 ft
Weight: 2.9–20 tonnes
Found in: the United States · Paluxy
Food and walking: Herbivore · Four legs
Kind: long-neck giant · Sauropod
Family branch: Somphospondyli

The story in short

In 2012, M. D. D'Emic published the name Astrophocaudia. The name honors a person tied to the fossil or its study.

It lived in the Early Cretaceous (Albian), roughly 113.2 to 100.5 million years ago. Finds come from the United States, including the Paluxy Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.

Published estimates put Astrophocaudia at a length near 10.9–18.3 m, hips about 2.5 m high, and a body mass around 2.9–20 tonnes.

On the family tree it sits in Somphospondyli, among the sauropod dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Abdarainurus

Abdarainurus barsboldi

Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago

Angolatitan

Angolatitan adamastor

Late Cretaceous (Coniacian) · roughly 89.8 to 85.7 million years ago

Arkharavia

Arkharavia heterocoelica

Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago