Look up · dinosaur 345 of 1,425
long-neck giant
Dasosaurus
Say it like this: “DAH-so-SAWR-us”
Dasosaurus tocantinensis
Dasosaurus ate plants and walked on four legs. It lived in the Early Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Brazil.
- When
- Early Cretaceous (Aptian) · roughly 121.4 to 113.2 million years ago
- Named in
- 2026 · Mayer, E. L.; Silva Junior, J. C. G.; Kerber, L.; Navarro, B. A.; Bandeira, K. L. N.; Cisneros, J. C.; Sousa, E. P.; Pereira, A. A.; Medeiros, M. A.; Lindoso, R. M.; Cavalcanti Neto, F. P.; Ghilardi, A. M.; Aureliano, T.; Godoy, P. L.; Ferreira, G. S.; Langer, M. C.
- Hip height
- Not established
- Length
- 18–22 m · 59–72 ft
- Weight
- Not established
- Found in
- Brazil · Itapecuru
- Food and walking
- Herbivore · Four legs
- Kind
- long-neck giant · Sauropod
- Family branch
- Somphospondyli
The story in short
In 2026, E. L. Mayer and colleagues published the name Dasosaurus. The name means “forest lizard.”
Fossils referred to Dasosaurus date to the Early Cretaceous (Aptian), roughly 121.4 to 113.2 million years ago. Finds come from Brazil, including the Itapecuru Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.
Published estimates put Dasosaurus at a length near 18–22 m.
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