Rebbachisaurus
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Rebbachisaurus Fossil range: Early Cretaceous |
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Vertebra of Rebbachisaurus garasbae
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Rebbachisaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur of the superfamily Diplodocoidea, up to 20 meters (68 ft) long, that lived in the Early Cretaceous period about 99 million years ago. This massive four-legged plant-eating animal had a small head, a long, graceful neck and a whiplike tail. Rebbachisaurus is distinguished from other sauropods by its unusually tall, ridged back. It may have carried a sail or fin on its spine[citation needed]. The discovery of Rayososaurus, a South American sauropod nearly identical to Rebbachisaurus, supports the theory that there was still a land connection between Africa and South America during the Early Cretaceous, long after it was commonly thought the two continents had separated.