Sauropoda

Sauropoda

[sȯ′räp·əd·ə]

(paleontology)

A group of fully quadrupedal, seemingly herbivorous dinosaurs from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods in the suborder Sauropodomorpha; members had small heads, spoon-shaped teeth, long necks and tails, and columnar legs.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Sauropoda

 

a suborder of extinct herbivorous reptiles of the order Saurischia. They lived in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Sauropoda were among the largest animals that ever existed (up to 30 m). They were characterized by a massive but relatively short torso, columnar legs, a long neck and tail, and a relatively small head. They probably lived in large bodies of water, such as large lakes and intracontinental seas. There were two families comprising a large number of genera and species, including Diplodocus, Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus), Brachyosaums, and Camarasaurus. Numerous Sauropoda remains have been found on all the continents; in the USSR they have been found in Transbaikalia and Fergana.

REFERENCE

Osnovy paleontologii: Zemnovodnye, presmykaiushchiesia i ptitsy. Moscow, 1964.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.