Saurischian dinosaurs

Sauropod

Cetiosaurus painting

Cetiosaurus

Cetiosaurus or 'whale lizard' belongs to the family Cetiosauridae and lived in the Middle to Late Jurassic period. It was one of the first dinosaurs to be discovered, and was named in 1841: most early skeletons were unearthed in England, but a 6ft thigh bone was discovered in Morocco in 1979. This 45-60ft vegetarian dinosaur weighed about 10 tons and had a blunt head and a solid spongy-textured backbone which was not hollowed out for lightness: later sauropods had hollow areas in their bones.


museum and exhibit logoREMedia logo

This page is part of the Journey Through Time website and is a collaboration between the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and REMedia Inc.

All photographic images and text contained within these web pages ARE COPYRIGHTED and may not be commercially reproduced, or utilized in any manner, without the prior written consent the owner. Select this text for more information.

Journey Through Time is based largely on material drawn from the CD-ROM Prehistoric Animals: A History of Life on Earth, publish by REMedia Inc. The CD-ROM may be purchased through the museum store. Teacher's notes are included with the education version.

Dinosaur painting by Jan Hastings, © REMedia Inc.
Timeline graphic by Rob Ransom, © REMedia Inc.
Text by Rob Ransom, © REMedia Inc.

Site design by Kimberly Townsend.

Please send your comments and questions about the content of this page to educate@nhm.org.