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Ultrasauros (not to be confused with Ultrasaurus, a smaller, though still large dinosaur from Korea) was an invalid genus of sauropod dinosaur, actually a chimera of material attributable to Supersaurus and Brachiosaurus. In the time it was considered to have existed, it was fairly well known as one of the tallest dinosaurs ever - the two genera that made up the genus gave the impression that it had the size of Supersaurus and the height of Brachiosaurus.

Description[]

The material once believed to have been representative of Ultrasauros was estimated to reach about 25 to 30 meters (80 to 100 ft) long, 8 meters (25 ft) high at the shoulder, 15 meters (50 ft) in total height, and weighing perhaps 70 metric tons (75 short tons) or more. At the time, mass estimates ranged up to 180 tons, which placed it in the same category as the blue whale and the equally problematic Bruhathkayosaurus.

Discovery and history[]

Paleontologist James A. Jensen, who described the original Supersaurus specimen, simultaneously reported the discovery of another gigantic sauropod, which would later be named "Ultrasaurus" macintoshi (later renamed Ultrasauros macintoshi). The type specimen (the specimen used to define a new species) of Ultrasauros, being a backbone (dorsal vertebra, labelled BYU 9044), was later found to have come from Supersaurus. In fact, it probably belonged to the original Supersaurus specimen, which was discovered in the same quarry in 1972. Therefore, Ultrasauros became a junior objective synonym of Supersaurus, which had been named first and thus retains priority, and the name "Ultrasauros" was abandoned.

Other bones that were found at the same location and originally thought to belong to Ultrasauros, like a shoulder girdle (scapulocoracoid, BYU 9462), actually belonged to Brachiosaurus, possibly a large specimen of Brachiosaurus altithorax. The Brachiosaurus bones indicate a large, but not record-breaking individual, a little larger than the "Brachiosaurus" brancai (Giraffatitan brancai) mount in the Humboldt Museum of Berlin. Larger specimens of Brachiosaurus are known from the Tendaguru beds of Tanzania, in east Africa.

Ultrasauros in The Land Before Time[]

Sue's boyfriend, who serves a very minor role in The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration, is an Ultrasauros according to bonus features.[1][2] He has only a line of dialog, (calling Sue "little lady", which is ironic because Sue is a Supersaurus, one of the largest dinosaurs in real life, and was often sad due to being taller than most longnecks) but is shown later in the movie with Sue in an non speaking scene. Sue's boyfriend was claimed to be an Ultrasauros in bonus features and had a brachiosaur-like head (as Ultrasauros was thought to have).

Gallery[]

References[]


StubLittlefoot
"Now, you be careful, my little Ultrasauros."
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