Rebbachisaurus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rebbachisaurus
Fossil range: Early Cretaceous
Vertebra of Rebbachisaurus garasbae
Vertebra of Rebbachisaurus garasbae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
Superorder: Dinosauria
Order: Saurischia
Suborder: Sauropodomorpha
Infraorder: Sauropoda
Superfamily: Diplodocoidea
Family: Rebbachisauridae
Genus: Rebbachisaurus
Lavocat, 1954
Species
  • R. garasbae Lavocat, 1954 (type)
  • R. tamesnensis Lapparent, 1960
Head and neck of a Rebbachisaurus in front of a Giganotosaurus.
Head and neck of a Rebbachisaurus in front of a Giganotosaurus.

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.