Ornithopsis

Say it like this: “or-ni-THOP-sis”

Ornithopsis hulkei

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

Quiz me on Ornithopsis

When: Early Cretaceous (Barremian) · roughly 125.8 to 121.4 million years ago
Named in: 1870 · Seeley, H. G.
Hip height: 3.4 m · 11 ft
Length: 16–18 m · 52–59 ft
Weight: 15.5 tonnes
Found in: the United Kingdom · Wessex
Food and walking: Herbivore · Four legs
Kind: long-neck giant · Sauropod
Family branch: Titanosauriformes

The story in short

In 1870, H. G. Seeley published the name Ornithopsis.

Fossils referred to Ornithopsis date to the Early Cretaceous (Barremian), roughly 125.8 to 121.4 million years ago. Finds come from the United Kingdom, including the Wessex Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.

Published estimates put Ornithopsis at a length near 16–18 m, hips about 3.4 m high, and a body mass around 15.5 tonnes.

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

Close relatives

Brohisaurus

Brohisaurus kirthari

Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) · roughly 154.8 to 149.2 million years ago

Dinodocus

Dinodocus mackesoni

Early Cretaceous (Aptian · Albian) · roughly 121.4 to 100.5 million years ago

Duriatitan

Duriatitan humerocristatus

Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) · roughly 154.8 to 149.2 million years ago