- · Grid units represent actual meters (m); human and animals are drawn to the exact same scale with original silhouette aspect ratios preserved.
- · When a size range is recorded (e.g. 1–1.6m), the lower bound is used for scale comparison.
- · Massospondylus silhouette: PhyloPic — Scott Hartman · CC BY 3.0
- · Human silhouette: PhyloPic — NASA · Public Domain Mark 1.0
Massospondylus
Massospondylus carinatus (Massospondylus · Massospondylus)
Known only from fossils. The IUCN Red List assesses only species extant since 1500 CE, so fossil taxa are not assigned a category.
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its estimated body length of about 4 m (representative value for the genus) is slightly shorter than a passenger car (about 4.5 m), and its weight of about 70 kg is similar to that of an adult man (Comparison).
- 💡 Its front teeth were rounded and its back teeth were flat, dividing roles much like human incisors and molars (Comparison).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
Massospondylus carinatus (genus Massospondylus) was an early plant-eating dinosaur (prosauropod) that lived in southern Africa (Lesotho, South Africa, and Zimbabwe) during the Early Jurassic. Its name means 'massive vertebra.'
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It walked on two or four legs, with rounded front teeth and flat back teeth. Its body length was about 4 m.
🔍 3. Fossil Record & Paleoecology
The museum classifies this dinosaur as omnivorous and notes that it ate tough plant material.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • Fossil taxon — the IUCN Red List assesses only species living or extinct since 1500
- • paleobiodb.org — basicTaxonInfo
- • wikidata.org — Q20718697
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:August 1, 2012 - Massospondylus carinatus fossil skull
- • nhm.ac.uk — massospondylus.html
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Scott Hartman · CC BY 3.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.