The Riojasaurus was a big dino who only liked to eat plants. It had a long neck, tail, and legs, and a triangular head. It was found in a rock formation in Argentina.
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Some Quick Facts about the Riojasaurus
| Name | Riojasaurus (meaning “Rioja lizard”) |
| Type of dinosaur | Sauropodomorpha |
| Territory | Terrestrial/occasionally wet woodlands, Argentina |
| Size | 10 feet long, 22–33 feet tall |
| Color | Brownish |
| Interesting Characteristics | Long neck and tail |
| Diet | Herbivorous (low ferns) |
| Major Threats | Larger predators |
The Riojasaurus was a sauropodomorph dinosaur, meaning it had lizard-like hips. Sauropodomorpha was a herbivorous dino group. They lived in the Norian age of the Late Triassic period.
What Did a Riojasaurus Eat?
The Riojasaurus dinosaur was herbivorous. This means it only ate plants. The Riojasaurus was very tall, but its ankles weren’t developed enough. Its back legs couldn’t support the weight of its heavy body to stand up, so it couldn’t reach high tree branches.
It liked to eat low ferns full of leaves. Even its teeth were leaf-shaped! Some scientists think this dinosaur ate pebbles to help it digest so many plants. Weird, but many reptiles, not humans, do this. These pebbles crush the plants they eat.
What Was the Habitat for a Riojasaurus?
The Riojasaurus lived on land. Its habitat was the grasslands and forests of South America. This was the only Riojasauridae dinosaur who lived on that continent.
Living in the forest was great for the Riojasaurus, who liked to eat a lot of leaves! This dinosaur probably lived with others of its species in a group because of its diet. Herbivores usually live in groups or herds to protect each other from predators.
How Long Was a Riojasaurus?
The Riojasaurus was a large quadrupedal (walked on four legs like a Leptoceratops) measuring 22–33 ft (6.6–10 m) in length. This gave this reptile an advantage against predators who had to be bigger to prey on it.
Riojasauruses were prosauropods, which means “before the sauropods.” This is because scientists used to think the Prosauropoda group was ancestral to sauropods. Prosauropod dinosaurs were big herbivores who lived in the Triassic and Jurassic periods. They were 13 to 33 ft (4 to 10 m) long.
Where Was the First Riojasaurus Fossil Found?
José Bonaparte discovered the first Riojasaurus fossil in a sedimentary rock formation called Los Colorados. This rock formation is in La Rioja Province, Argentina. Riojasaurus means “Rioja lizard” because of the name of this province.
The Los Colorados Formation was the home of many other Triassic dinosaurs from the Norian age. The Lessemsaurus was one of them and shared its habitat with the Riojasaurus.