Illustrating Atlasaurus

Our thanks to Caldey who sent into Everything Dinosaur a beautiful illustration of the bizarre north African sauropod Atlasaurus (A. imelakei) which had been inspired by her recent purchase of the Eofauna Scientific Research Atlasaurus model.

An Illustration of the Middle Jurassic North African Sauropod Atlasaurus

Picture credit: Caldey

Atlasaurus imelakei

Known from a single fossil specimen discovered in sandstone sediments in the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region of Morocco.  Atlasaurus is just one of a handful of sauropods that have been found in north Africa and it is the most complete.  The fossils, believed to represent one animal, consist of a partial skull, a considerable portion of the postcranial skeleton and a partial tail.  This dinosaur is estimated to have been around fifteen metres in length.

Bizarre Sauropod Body Proportions

The body plan of this herbivorous dinosaur was very different from its better-known sauropod contemporaries from North America, China and Europe.  Its limb bones were proportionately longer than most other sauropodomorphs and its front legs were longer than its hind legs, so its back sloped from the shoulders to the tail.  Unusually, the neck was relatively short for such a large animal.  Scientists have postulated that the long limbs evolved to assist this dinosaur when feeding.  It could reach vegetation that other herbivorous dinosaurs could not reach.

The Eofauna Scientific Research Atlasaurus Dinosaur Model

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

Caldey’s drawing has certainly captured these bizarre body proportions and the intriguing colour scheme devised by those talented model makers at Eofauna Scientific Research.  Our thanks to Caldey for sending into us her fabulous dinosaur drawing.

To view the figures within the Eofauna Scientific Research model series, including the Atlasaurus replica: Eofauna Scientific Research Prehistoric Animal Figures.