Tendaguria is an extinct group of dinosaurs known as sauropods. It lived during the Late Jurassic period, around 149 to 145 million years ago. This dinosaur was discovered in the Lindi Region of Tanzania.
The name “Tendaguria” comes from the Tendaguru area, which was the site of important dinosaur discoveries in the early 1900s. The type species, Tendaguria tanzaniensis, was named in 2000 based on fossil vertebrae found years before.
The discovery of Tendaguria began in 1911 when a German geologist named Wilhelm Bornhardt found two sauropod vertebrae near Tendaguru Hill. These bones were described but not named until much later. In 2000, scientists José Fernando Bonaparte, Wolf-Dieter Heinrich, and Rupert Wild gave the dinosaur its official name.
Tendaguria was a large dinosaur, estimated to be about 20 meters, or 66 feet, long. It was a herbivore, which means it ate plants. It can be distinguished from other sauropods by the unique shapes and features of its vertebrae. This dinosaur had two special cavities in its vertebrae that set it apart.
When looking at how Tendaguria fits into the dinosaur family tree, it shows characteristics of both older and newer types of sauropods. This made it tough to place it in a specific category when first discovered. However, further studies have placed it within the group called Turiasauria, alongside another dinosaur named Moabosaurus.
The discovery and classification of Tendaguria help us learn more about the diversity of dinosaurs and their evolution over time. Its fossils remain an important part of our understanding of sauropods from the Jurassic period.