The Supersaurus was the longest dinosaur ever discovered. This amazing dino was found in Colorado in 1972 by an amateur fossil hunter name Vivian Jones. The dinosaur was named in honor of Vivian Jones, Supersaurus vivianae by paleontologist James A. Jensen.
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Some Quick Facts about the Supersaurus
| Name | Supersaurus (means “Super Lizard”) |
| Type of dinosaur | Saurischia |
| Territory | Wooded areas of North America |
| Size | Large, 100-137 feet long, 50-54 feet tall |
| Color | Dark brown with hard scales |
| Interesting Characteristics | Very long neck with a tiny head and a long tail. The front legs were longer than the back legs. |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Major Threats | Larger carnivores and natural disasters |
The Supersaurus was a Sauropod dino that lived in the Late Jurassic Period. This dino was huge, about the length of three large school buses in a line.
Even though the Supersaurus was an herbivore (like Efraasia) that lived in herds, it laid eggs while it walked, leaving a line of babies to hatch and fend for themselves!
Was the Supersaurus the Longest Dinosaur?
Yes, the Supersaurus is the longest dinosaur to date. At up to 137 feet long, this dino was almost twice as big as its relative, Apatosaurus. The Apatosaurus was only 76 feet long. Both the Apatosaurus and Supersaurus lived in the same area of North America around the same time.
Another large herbivore named Diplodocus lived with Supersaurs and Apatosaurs. The Diplodocus was only 96 feet long. All three of these dinos were Diplodocids, which means they had long necks and whip-like tails.
Not only could Diplodocids whip predators with their tails, but they could also snap their tails like a bullwhip to scare off predators.
Even though Supersaurus was the longest dino ever recorded, it was not the heaviest dinosaur. The heaviest dino was a Titanosaur named Argentinosaurus, weighing around 100 tons.
But the heaviest animal in all of history isn’t a dinosaur at all and still lives today. The blue whale is the heaviest animal that ever lived at a staggering 200 tons!
What Did the Supersaurus Eat?
The Supersaurus was an herbivore that ate a wide variety of plants. Pteridophytes are one of the most common plants found in a Supersaurus’ stomach. These are fern-like plants that grow in groups of single stalks near water. The Supersaurus also ate horsetails, mosses, and massive prehistoric ferns.
A Supersaurus needed a lot of food, so they would migrate as a herd to find more food. When wetland plants weren’t available, the Supersaurus could use its long neck to reach tree branches of ancient conifers.
Since the Supersaurus only had teeth in the front of its mouth for ripping plant material free, the Supersaurus would also eat rocks to help it digest the food. These rocks are known as gastroliths.
What Is the Most Recent Discovery about the Supersaurus?
The most recent discovery about the Supersaurus is that it was probably closer to 137 feet. This is far longer than anyone thought!
Paleontologists used to think the Supersaurus was only 100-112 feet long, but recent research by paleontologist Brian Curtice proves that the Supersaurus was over 20 feet longer than expected.
Another newer discovery involving the Supersaurus is the fossil found in Lisbon, Portugal. All other Supersaurs have been found in North America, but in the 1990s, a Supersaurus was found in the Lourinha Formation in Portugal.
There is still discussion over where this slightly smaller cousin of the North American Supersaurus belongs. But for now, it is called Supersaurus lourinhanensis.
There have been a lot of new discoveries about the Supersaurus since it was first found in 1972. After investigating the Dry Mesa Dinosaur Quarry in the Morrison Formation where the first Supersaurus was found, Jim Jensen thought he’d found three new sauropod dinosaurs.
He named these Supersaurus, Ultrasaurus, and Dystylosaurus and published his findings in the Great Basin Naturalist. But paleontologists studying the fossils today believe that all three of these are just three different-sized Supersaurs.