Aegyptosaurus
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Extinct (fossil)
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| Aegyptosaurus baharijensis Stromer, 1932 |
Aegyptosaurus (ee-JIP-toh-sawr-us) meaning 'Egypt’s lizard', where it was discovered (Greek sauros meaning 'lizard') is a genus of dinosaur believed to have lived in what is now Africa, around 95 million years ago, during the mid- and late-Cretaceous Period. This quadrupedal sauropod was a herbivore and its fossils have been found in Egypt, Niger and in several different locations in the Sahara Desert. All known examples were discovered before 1939. The fossils were stored together in Munich, but were obliterated when a bombing raid destroyed the museum where they were kept in 1944, during World War II.
Aegyptosaurus weighed roughly 10.5 tonnes (11.5 tons), was 15 meters (50) feet long and was over 5 meters (16 feet) tall. It had a long neck and a small skull. The animal's long tail probably acted as a counterweight to its body mass.
Aegyptosaurus was a close relative of Argentinosaurus, a much larger dinosaur found in South America. It has been suggested that it may have evolved from its South American relative, after crossing the ancient land bridge between Africa and South America.
It is quite likely that Aegyptosaurus was common prey for large predatory dinosaurs, such as Carcharodontosaurus and Spinosaurus.
