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early long-neck
Plateosaurus
Say it like this: “PLAT-ee-o-SAWR-us”
Plateosaurus trossingensis
Plateosaurus ate plants and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Triassic. Bones have been found in Germany.
- When
- Late Triassic (Norian) · roughly 227.3 to 205.7 million years ago
- Named in
- 1913 · Fraas, E.
- Hip height
- 2 m · 7 ft
- Length
- 4.8–10 m · 16–33 ft
- Weight
- 0.6–4 tonnes
- Found in
- Germany · Trossingen
- Food and walking
- Herbivore · Two legs
- Kind
- early long-neck · Sauropodomorph
- Family branch
- Plateosauridae
The story in short
Plateosaurus was formally named in 1913 by E. Fraas. The name means “broad lizard.”
Fossils referred to Plateosaurus date to the Late Triassic (Norian), roughly 227.3 to 205.7 million years ago. Finds come from Germany, including the Trossingen Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Plateosaurus at a length near 4.8–10 m, hips about 2 m high, and a body mass around 0.6–4 tonnes.
On the family tree it sits in Plateosauridae, among the early long-necked dinosaurs.
This entry is the whole genus. The type species is Plateosaurus trossingensis. Other named species include Plateosaurus engelhardti and Plateosaurus gracilis.
Other species with this name
- Plateosaurus trossingensis
- Plateosaurus engelhardti
- Plateosaurus gracilis