Australodocus

Type Species: Australodocus bohetii

Classification: Dinosauria – Saurischia – Sauropoda - Gravisauria - Eusauropoda - Neosauropoda – Macronaria – Titanosauriformes – Somphospondyli 

Time Period: Late Jurassic 

Location: Africa

Diet: Herbivore

The 56-foot-long and 8800-pound sauropod Australodocus was originally classified as a diplodocid but has since been reclassified as an early titanosauriform, making it more closely related to Brachiosaurus than Diplodocus. Australodocus is currently considered one of the first specimens of the somphospondyls, a sauropod lineage that would give birth in the Cretaceous to the larger-than-life armored titanosaur sauropods. This ‘large-nosed’ macronarian roamed the dense conifer forests of Africa’s Tendaguru Formation, separated to the south of North America by the widening strip of water that would eventually become the Atlantic Ocean. While the Morrison Formation in North America was dominated by diplodocids, the Tendaguru Formation was dominated by macronarians, likely as a result of the different environments. The Morrison was a savannah-like floodplain cut by lakes and rivers that were forested on the peripheries; the Tendaguru, however, was more densely-packed with thick conifer forests. The low-lying foliage of the Morrison was perfect eating for low-browsing diplodocids whereas macronarians with vertically-oriented necks did better with the plentiful trees of the Tendaguru.