Massospondylus Massospondylus carinatus Owen 1854
/ˌmæsoʊˈspɒndɪləs/
Early Jurassic (Toarcian) · 201.4–174.7 Mya
Key Statistics
Diet
herbivore
Locomotion
quadrupedal
inferred from clade
Where It Was Found
Countries
South Africa, Zimbabwe
Regions
Free State · Mashonaland West · Eastern Cape · Matabeleland South
Formations
Elliot · Clarens · Upper Karroo Sandstone · Forest Sandstone
Dig sites
11
distinct collections
Overview
Massospondylus carinatus is a sauropodomorph dinosaur known from the Early Jurassic, roughly 201.4–174.7 million years ago. It was a inferred herbivore. Fossils have been recovered from Free State, South Africa and elsewhere. It was named by Owen 1854. The species is represented by 11 recorded occurrences in the Paleobiology Database.
Fossil Record Completeness
How much of this profile is grounded in the fossil record
~36%
well attested
Based on 11 recorded occurrences in the Paleobiology Database.
Geologic Time
Where Massospondylus carinatus sits in deep time
Massospondylus
252 Mya201 Mya145 Mya66 Mya
Relationships
Part of a wider fossil web
These species share Massospondylus carinatus's place in deep time — computed from overlapping age ranges, shared clades, and inferred ecology. Predator–prey pairs additionally have to have been dug up in the same place.