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Jobaria was a primitive, long-necked, long-tailed dinosaur from the early Cretaceous period, about 135 million years ago. This sauropod was about 70-75 feet (21-23 m) long and weighed about 20 tons (18,200 kg). Jobaria was 6 feet (1.8 m) wide across its chest. It was a plant-eater that had scoop-like teeth and a long, flexible neck. It had one large claw on each front foot, and smaller claws on its hind feet. Its neck contained 12 vertebrae. Jobaria is unlike other sauropods of its time; it was much more primitive, having less complex vertebrae and a shorter tail.

Fossils: Jobaria was excavated by a team of paleontologists led by Paul Sereno. In 1997, several Jobaria fossils were found together, indicating that this dinosaur was a herding animal. One Jobaria fossil is 95 percent complete, making it one of the most complete Cretaceous sauropods. A juvenile Jobaria had tooth marks on it, perhaps from the theropod Afrovenator, a 27-foot-long (8-meter-long) meat-eater.

The Jobaria fossils were found in a rock formation near the town of Agadez in the Sahara Desert in Niger, Africa. This area was lush during the Cretaceous period, with forests and rivers.

Jobaria was named for Jobar, a mythical creature of African legends. The type species is Jobaria tiguidensis.

RELATED LINKS
More information on sauropods, plant-eating dinosaurs.

Information on the Cretaceous period.

Other fossils found in Africa (including Niger).

Jobaria.org from Paul Sereno and others.

Chart of geological time

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