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 /

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

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Etymology

Origin of sauropod

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sauropod

Located near Ouray, the trackway is one of the most continuous and tightly curved sauropod footprint trails ever recorded.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

Explaining the tracks, she said: "There were four trackways of sauropod footprints and none of them were the same size as each other."

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

One area of the site even reveals where the paths of a sauropod and megalosaurus once crossed, with Nichols saying the footprints were on the "same bedding plane".

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

Researchers classified Nagatitan as a somphospondylan sauropod, a branch of sauropods that spread widely around 120 million years ago.

From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026

A long, curved sauropod neck cut a slender silhouette against the dark blue sky between them.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older

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