Atlasaurus

a pair of Atlasaurus on the African shores of Gondwana

Type Species: Atlasaurus imelakei

Classification: Dinosauria – Saurischia – Sauropoda - Gravisauria - Eusauropoda

Time Period: Middle Jurassic

Location: Africa (Niger) 

Diet: Herbivore 

In the Middle Jurassic, Saharan Africa was a lush mosaic of woodlands, rivers, and lakes – and the sauropod Atlasaurus called it home. Atlasaurus was named after the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, which were named after the Titan Atlas of Greek mythology who held up the sky. The species name A. imelakei comes from the Arabic ‘Imelake,’ the name of a giant. Atlasaurus looked a lot like the later Jurassic sauropod Brachiosaurus, but there are major differences: it had a larger skull, a shorter neck, a longer tail, and more elongated limbs. Its teeth were spoon-shaped. Atlasaurus has been estimated to have reached fifty feet in length and weighed over twenty tons. The positioning of its long legs indicate that it could reach relatively high speeds of locomotion compared to most sauropods.