Vouivria is a kind of extinct dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic period, around 160 million years ago. It was a herbivorous sauropod from the family of Brachiosauridae, which were known for their long necks.
The name of this dinosaur comes from French legends about a winged dragon called “la vouivre.” The specific name, Vouivria damparisensis, refers to the area in France where its fossils were found, particularly near Damparis.
The story of Vouivria began in 1926 when workers at a chalkstone quarry discovered large dinosaur bones. After digging, paleontologists studied these bones. In 1939, a scientist named Albert-Félix de Lapparent thought the bones belonged to a different dinosaur called Bothriospondylus madagascariensis. However, over the years, many experts realized this idea was incorrect.
In 2017, researchers Philip D. Mannion, Ronan Allain, and Olivier Moine named and described Vouivria as a new species, distinct from any other known dinosaur. The fossils included parts of its skeleton but did not have a skull. They comprised vertebrae from the neck and back, shoulder blades, and various bones from its arms and legs.
Vouivria was a large dinosaur, estimated to be about 15 meters long and weighing around 15 tonnes. It lived near coastal lagoons, suggesting its remains were preserved after being buried under layers of chalk.
Scientists noted some unique features of Vouivria. For example, certain ridges on its neck vertebrae and arm bones identified it as different from other sauropods. It was positioned in the dinosaur family tree as one of the oldest known brachiosaurids, placing it before some of its more famous relatives like Brachiosaurus.
In summary, Vouivria is an exceptional dinosaur from the Jurassic period, providing valuable information about the evolution of sauropods in ancient ecosystems.