Shunosaurus was an economy-sized version of the giant sauropods that walked the Earth. This somewhat "smaller" beast-it weighed about 8 tons-had a weapon in its arsenal that its big cousins never had. This dino's tail ended in a thick, knobby club that could be swung with enough force to kill a large enemy in one blow. Shunosaurus roamed with others of its kind in search of tons of leaves to fill its belly.
Raking Leaves: Shunosaurus ate by clamping its jaws around the thick ends of tree branches, then pulling its head back. The dino's peg-like teeth acted as a rake, catching leaves between them and ripping the vegetation from the branches.
Stud: Unlike any other dinosaur of its kind, this beast had a thick club on the end of its tail that was studded with small spikes. Shunosaurus could thrash this weapon like a mace to bash meat-eaters that tried to attack.
Mid-Size Dino[]
Fossils show that this dino had a mouth full of peg-like teeth.
Though Shunosaurus looked like sauropods, such as apatosaurus, this creature lived millions of years before them. Experts believe that this dino was the next-to-last of the biggest dinos that walked the Earth. As sauropods grew bigger-the largest weighed about 110 tons-they lost their clubbed tails, apparently because their sheer size was enough to deter most attackers. Shunosaurus was one of the most common dinosaurs of its age, so this species might have split off into several branches of the dinosaur "family tree" and given rise to several species of giant sauropod.
Rockin': This dino couldn't chew the tough leaves it swallowed, so it gulped down rocks to store in a throat pouch, called a gizzard. In here, the rocks ground against the leaves to break them down before entering the dino's stomach.
Got Your Back: Shunosaurus roamed in herds for protection. While members were eating or resting, a few would keep an eye out for enemies, and alert the others if they sensed danger.
Don't Mess with Mom[]
- As a mother Shunosaurus and her young feed by themselves, the young one wanders away from the adult. A nearby predator notices the young dino's mistake and rushes in for the kill. The mother notices in just enough time to run in to slug the attacker.
- Knocked senseless by the large Shunosaurus' tail club, the attacker is dazed for a moment. When it comes to, the two-legged dino runs away quickly, seeing that the young Shunosaurus has retreated into the shelter of its mother's legs.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The shunosaurus is featured in Fossil Finders on Monster Mania 67.
- The skull used in the game is the same one on the back of the knowledge card.