Fun Brancasaurus Facts For Kids

The Brancasaurus was a dinosaur that was found in the Early Cretaceous period. The Brancasaurus fossils that were excavated by paleontologists belonged to a single specimen. The specimen, or the holotype, was one that had not yet reached adulthood, as deciphered through the nature of the vertebrae contained in it. This was quite special. The holotype is also rumored to have preserved soft tissue in parts of its length, which had been subsequently removed by paleontologists. Not only is it a freshwater plesiosaur but the Brancasaurus brancai has also been discovered to be closely related to the Leptocleididae group of plesiosaurs possibly due to similarities in bone structure. Considering that there was a singular specimen that has been studied, it is evident that the Brancasaurus brancai was a rare species. 

How do you pronounce 'Brancasaurus'?

Brancasaurus is pronounced as 'Bran-ca-soh-rus'.

What type of dinosaur was a Brancasaurus?

The Brancasaurus was a classic European plesiosaur reptile.

In which geological period was the Brancasaurus on the Earth?

The Brancasaurus was existing in the Early Cretaceous time period. This period was also known as the Upper Berriasian period.

When did the Brancasaurus become Extinct?

The exact time period when the Brancasaurus went Extinct is unknown. However, they might have possibly gone Extinct along with other dinosaurs about 66 billion years ago.

Where did a Brancasaurus live?

The Brancasaurus fossils indicate that the genus was found in North Rhine-Westphalia waters, in Western Germany. The holotype specimen was found in a brickworks clay pit of North Rhine-Westphalia.

What was a Brancasaurus's habitat?

The Brancasaurus was a marine reptile and thrived underwater. A freshwater lake might have been an ideal location to spot a Brancasaurus brancai.

Who did a Brancasaurus live with?

Although it is difficult to determine whether the Brancasaurus had distinct social patterns, being a plesiosaur reptile, it is possible that they had friendly relationships with other creatures such as their family.

How long did a Brancasaurus live?

The life cycle that a Brancasaurus brancai lived on average has not been determined by paleontologists.

How did they reproduce?

The Brancasaurus brancai was viviparious in nature. This means that their young ones developed inside their bodies before they birthed them into the water. The mating patterns of the Brancasaurus, however, have not been specifically defined.

What did a Brancasaurus look like?

The Brancasaurus brancai of the Early Cretaceous period was characterized by a neck that was very long and a snout that was tampered towards the end.

How many bones did a Brancasaurus have?

The Brancasaurus brancai holotype specimen suggests that the skeleton contained a skull measuring 9.3 in (23.7 cm). in length and was marked by a tapered snout. The vertebral column of the Brancasaurus brancai measured 3 ft 10 in (1.18 m) in length and bore 37 cervical vertebrae. The cervical centra were greater in width than in length. The dorsal neural spines of the dinosaur had consisted of a constricted base and their cervical neural spines tended to be curving towards the end. The limbs of the Brancasaurus consisted of scapulae with shelf-live structures. This feature was responsible for the development of a close connection with the Leptocleididae group of plesiosaurs.

How did they communicate?

The manner in which the Brancasaurus brancai communicated has not been described through findings.

How big was a Brancasaurus?

The Brancasaurus measured 10.7 ft (3 m) in length. This would classify the dinosaur as a mid-sized marine reptile. When compared to other plesiosaurs, a Brancasaurus could almost be twice the length of a Thalassiodracon.

How fast could a Brancasaurus swim?

The speed of a Brancasaurus brancai has not yet been established. However, being a plesiosaur, the long neck of the Brancasaurus could decrease their speed, making it likely that they remained idle waiting till their prey came closer to them.

How much did a Brancasaurus weigh?

The weight of a Brancasaurus has not been ascertained yet.

What were the male and female names of the species?

The Brancasaurus is not known to have different names for males and females. The Brancasaurus brancai species is deemed to represent all sexes of the Brancasaurus plesiosaur.

What would you call a baby Brancasaurus?

A Brancasaurus offspring has not been known to have any distinct name given to it.

What did they eat?

Brancasaurus brancai were a piscivore species.

How aggressive were they?

Brancasauruses were not known to be very aggressive. The dinosaurs with a long neck containing neural spines and a tapered snout might have been ones to wait for their prey to swim or float near them instead of actively hunting.

Did You Know...

• The neck of the Brancasaurus, which was characteristically long, was said to consist of neural spines that were uniquely shark fin-shaped.
• The name Brancasaurus roughly translated to 'Branca's lizard'. The name was given by Theodor Wegner.
• The singular holotype of the Brancasaurus that had been unearthed continues to be preserved and stored in the possession of the University of Munster located in Germany.

We've been unable to source an image of Brancasaurus and have used an image of plesiosaur instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Brancasaurus, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected]