Massospondylus
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Name Meaning | “massive vertebrae” |
| Location | South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe |
| Time Period | c. 195 million years ago (Early Jurassic) |
| Length | 13 ft (4 m) |
| Weight | 330 lb (150 kg) |
| Locomotion | Biped |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Described | 1854 (Owen) |
| Geological Formation(s) | Elliot, Clarens, Forest Sandstone, Mpandi |
| Valid Species | Massospondylus carinatus (type), Massospondylus kaalae |
Phylogeny: Dinosauria > Saurischia > Sauropodomorpha > Plateosauria > Massopoda > Massospondylidae
Overview: Massospondylus is one of the more famous of the “prosauropods” – a basal member of the Sauropodomorpha – along with dinosaurs like Plateosaurus. Between the two, this genus was more derived, being a part of the clade Massopoda. Massospondylus is the namesake of the family Massospondylidae, which also contained genera like Glacialisaurus and Coloradisaurus. They were mostly lightly built and not overly large sauropodomorphs, at least in comparison to their later kin. Members of the family, as we can see with Massospondylus itself, tended to have tiny skulls, jaws lined with very simple teeth, and large hand claws. Although some older restorations depicted them as capable of walking on all fours, the massospondylids were strictly bipedal creatures, their wrists being unable to pronate downwards to support their weight. Massospondylus likely used its claws to forage for food by digging up roots or pulling branches, but also for defense against predators.
Two other generic names are associated with this genus – Pachyspondylus and Leptospondylus. All three generic names were coined by the English naturalist Sir Richard Owen in 1854, based on a set of fossils sent to him from South Africa. Owen believed the bones came from different animals, but in time, it was proven they were all the same genus, with Massospondylus winning out as the valid name. Its name, meaning “massive vertebrae”, refers to its vertebrae being rather long in profile. In his original description, Owen didn’t recognize Massospondylus as a dinosaur, though he himself was the scientist who established them as a clade. He saw it as some kind of carnivorous reptile, but we know today that Massospondylus was strictly herbivorous. Massospondylus fossils can be found in various different Early Jurassic-aged geological formations in southern Africa. It probably coexisted with other notable dinosaurs such as Heterodontosaurus and Megapnosaurus.