sauropod

American  

[sawr-uh-pod] / ˈsɔr əˌpɒd /

noun

1. any herbivorous dinosaur of the suborder Sauropoda, from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, having a small head, long neck and tail, and five-toed limbs: the largest known land animal.

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adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the sauropods.

sauropod British  

/ ˈsɔːrəˌpɒd, sɔːˈrɒpədəs /

noun

1. any herbivorous quadrupedal saurischian dinosaur of the suborder Sauropoda, of Jurassic and Cretaceous times, including the brontosaurus, diplodocus, and titanosaurs. They had small heads and long necks and tails and were partly amphibious

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sauropod Scientific  

/ sôr′ə-pŏd′ /

1. One of the two types of saurischian dinosaurs, widespread during the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. Sauropods were plant-eaters and often grew to tremendous size, having a stout body with thick legs, long slender necks with a small head, and long tails. Sauropods included the apatosaurus (brontosaurus) and brachiosaurus.

2. Compare theropod

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Other Word Forms

• sauropodous adjective

Etymology

Origin of sauropod

1890–95; < New Latin Sauropoda suborder name < Greek saûro ( s ) lizard + -poda -poda; -pod

Example Sentences

In a diorama pitting the carnivorous Acrocanthosaurus against the massive plant-eating Astrodon, it is the larger sauropod that triumphs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2025

One area of the site even reveals where the paths of a sauropod and megalosaurus once crossed.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2025

The new gallery also has two great big windows where you’ll be able to glimpse Gnatalie, the sauropod, and you can glimpse stuff that you can have access to from the park.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2024

Bites were detected on sauropod bones belonging to Camarasaurus, Galeamopus and Suuwassea as well as bones probably but not definitively belonging to Diplodocus, Apatosaurus and Brachiosaurus.

From Reuters • Nov. 16, 2023

The ferry sauropod let out a low, bone-chilling moan into the misty morning sky and then set off across the river.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older