Location : South America

Riojasaurus was one of the very earliest plant-eating dinosaurs and was a member of the family of dinosaurs that became the long-necked Sauropod . For such an early dinosaur, scientists know a great deal about this animal as parts of more than 20 different individuals have been found. It grew very large for such an early dinosaur, as long as a school bus!

A large and heavily built prosauropod , Riojasaurus was first discovered in 1967. It exhibits characteristics that led to the evolution of the sauropods, including successively lengthening cervical vertebrae. Almost no cranial material has been found, but its neck suggests that it had a small skull.