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Suuwassea

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

Fossil skeleton of Suuwassea, a long-necked herbivorous dinosaur that lived about 147 million years ago during the late Jurassic period.

Suuwassea is a kind of dinosaur that lived a very long time ago during the Upper Jurassic period. Its fossils were found in southern Carbon County, Montana, in the United States. Scientists discovered these fossils during expeditions in 1999 and 2000 and described them in 2004.

Suuwassea belonged to a group of dinosaurs called dicraeosaurid sauropods. These were long-necked dinosaurs that walked on four legs. The fossils of Suuwassea were not all found together, but they included parts of its spine and limb bones.

Studying Suuwassea helps scientists learn more about the different types of sauropods that lived millions of years ago and how they lived their lives.

Etymology

Skull

The name Suuwassea comes from a word in the language of the Native American Crow tribe. In their language, suuwassa means “the first thunder heard in spring.” The parts of this word, suu meaning “thunder” and wassa meaning “ancient,” connect to the idea of “thunder lizards,” a common nickname for large dinosaurs. The specific name honors Emilie deHellebranth, who helped support the trips where the dinosaur was found.

Description

Fifth and third to first cervical vertebrae

Suuwassea was a type of long-necked plant-eating dinosaur. Scientists think it grew to be about 15 meters (49 feet) long and weighed around 5 metric tons (5.5 short tons). This dinosaur had some features in its skull and spine that were similar to two other groups of dinosaurs called Diplodocidae and Dicraeosauridae, but it was not quite the same as either group. It had some special bone arrangements that made it unique.

Classification

When scientists first discovered Suuwassea, they were unsure exactly where it fit among dinosaur families because it had a mix of older and newer features seen in different groups. Later studies suggested it might belong to a group called Apatosaurinae. However, more recent research shows that Suuwassea is actually part of the Dicraeosauridae family in North America.

A diagram from 2015 shows how Suuwassea relates to other members of the Dicraeosauridae family.

Images

An artist’s reconstruction of the ancient reptile Buriolestes schultzi, based on fossil findings.
Illustration of Pantydraco caducus, an early sauropod-like dinosaur from the Triassic or Jurassic period of England.
Artist's reconstruction of Massospondylus, an early Jurassic dinosaur from Africa.
Scientific illustration of Jingshanosaurus xinwaensis, an early dinosaur from the Triassic period.
An artistic illustration of Vulcanodon, an ancient long-necked dinosaur, shown in its natural habitat.
An artistic reconstruction of Barapasaurus, an early sauropod dinosaur from the Jurassic period.
A scientific illustration of Patagosaurus, a giant long-necked dinosaur from the Jurassic period.
A scientific illustration of Turiasaurus riodevensis, a large dinosaur from the Jurassic period.
An artistic restoration of Dicraeosaurus hansemanni, a fascinating dinosaur from the Jurassic period.
A scientific artist's rendering of Diplodocus carnegii, a long-necked dinosaur from the Jurassic period.
An artistic reconstruction of Pelorosaurus brevis, an ancient long-necked reptile from the time of the dinosaurs.
A scientific illustration of Sauroposeidon proteles, a giant long-necked dinosaur from the Cretaceous period.

Related articles

Dinosaur
Montana

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Suuwassea, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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