Sonidosaurus was a type of dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, between 93.9 and 83.6 million years ago.
It is classified as a sauropod dinosaur, which are known for their long necks and large bodies.
The name Sonidosaurus means “Sonid lizard,” named after the area where its remains were found in Inner Mongolia.
The main species is called Sonidosaurus saihangaobiensis, and it was described by a group of scientists in 2006.
Sonidosaurus was a relatively small dinosaur for a titanous sauropod, measuring about 9 meters, or 30 feet long.
Its fossils were first discovered in 2001 in a quarry known for other significant dinosaur finds, including the giant theropod called Gigantoraptor.
Scientists have studied Sonidosaurus and found that it likely belonged to a group of titanosaurs known as lithostrotians.
This dinosaur may have shared similarities with other titanosaurs like the saltasaurids.
In the ecological environment where Sonidosaurus lived, it was the only known sauropod, cohabiting with large theropods such as Gigantoraptor and Alectrosaurus, as well as the largest known ornithischian dinosaur called Gilmoreosaurus.
In summary, Sonidosaurus is an interesting dinosaur that tells us more about the types of creatures that lived in ancient Mongolia millions of years ago.