Cetiosaurus

Cetiosaurus

Cetiosaurus means 'whale lizard'. It was a sauropod dinosaur that lived a very long time ago, during the Middle Jurassic Period, about 171 to 165 million years ago. It lived in what is now Britain and probably France.

This dinosaur was first found and named in 1842 by Sir Richard Owen. He thought it might have been a large crocodile that lived in water, but later learned it was a land dinosaur that walked on all four legs. Cetiosaurus had a long neck and a small head, and it ate plants.

Cetiosaurus had a shorter tail and neck than many other sauropods. Its front legs were longer than its back legs. Scientists think it was about 16 metres (52 ft) long and weighed around 11 tonnes (12 short tons).

Cetiosaurus is the first sauropod dinosaur for which bones were described. Many fossils of this dinosaur have been found in England. The best-known and most complete species is called Cetiosaurus oxoniensis. Some of these fossils are on display in museums, like the Leicester Museum & Art Gallery.

Cetiosaurus lived on an island called the London–Brabant Massif during the Middle Jurassic period. This island included parts of southern Britain and nearby areas of northern France. The island had floodplains and open woodlands, and Cetiosaurus ate plants from both low and medium heights with its long neck.