Ledumahadi

early sauropods · south africa · jurassic period · giant dinosaurs

Massive early giant. Ledumahadi weighed around 12 tonnes (about as heavy as three elephants), making it one of the first sauropodomorphs to grow truly huge. This was happening over 190 million years ago.

Different leg style. Unlike the enormous sauropods that came later, Ledumahadi did not have thick, column-like legs. Instead, its legs were more spread out, which is pretty remarkable for such a heavy animal.

South African fossil. Scientists found Ledumahadi's bones in the Elliot Formation in Free State Province, South Africa. The fossil is incomplete, but it told us a lot about how early giant dinosaurs evolved.

Only one skeleton found. Paleontologists have discovered just one incomplete skeleton of this species, making Ledumahadi both mysterious and special to study.

Early Jurassic explorer. Ledumahadi lived during the Early Jurassic period, a time when dinosaurs were still experimenting with different body shapes and sizes.