Page 59 - DINOSOUR ATLAS

Tendaguru Matandu

A gem hunter seArching in eAst AfricA made one of the most T A N Z A N I A INDIAN OCEAN
remarkable dinosaur discoveries ever. It was 1907, and instead
of finding small garnet stones for use in jewelry, the German
collector stumbled across giant, fossilized bones at Tendaguru. Mbemkuru Lindi
Tendaguru
Between 1909 and 1913, German paleontologists and hundreds Mtwara
of local workers recovered 250 tons of fossils, all of which were
carried to Lindi, from where they were shipped to Germany. Makonde
Plateau
From the mass of bones, 150 million years old, emerged Ruvuma
MOZAMBIQUE
dinosaurs of the Late Jurassic—sauropods such as Barosaurus and
Brachiosaurus, the stegosaur Kentrosaurus, and about 10 other species. u site location
Tendaguru is in southeast Tanzania, about 46 miles (75 km)
from the port of Lindi. When the site was excavated, it
could only be reached on foot, after a four-day march.
small head with
large, forward-
facing eyes , Dryosaurus
This dinosaur was a medium-sized
member of the hypsilophodont family—a
group of fast-moving dinosaurs with
distinctive self-sharpening chewing
teeth. Dryosaurus was probably a
herd-dweller, grazing on
low-growing ferns and other
plants that grew on dry land
close to the area’s rivers.

three toes Five Fingers
on each foot on each hand

PowerFul tail
counterbalanced
the long neck

Barosaurus .
Several partial Barosaurus skeletons have been
found at Tendaguru. Its front legs were shorter
than its hind legs, which would have reduced
the weight at the front of its body. This may
have allowed it to stand up on its back legs.

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