sauropod
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈsɔːrəˌpɒd/
- Specialized
:
saurópodo
- The giant sauropod towered over the other dinosaurs, using its long neck to reach high branches for food.
- sauropod skeletons
- sauropod neck
- sauropod dinosaurs
Examples
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Nonetheless, some kinds of sauropods straggled on to the close of the age of dinosaurs.
Academic text (1991) -
There were more genera of sauropods than of any other major group of dinosaurs.
Academic text (1991) -
From where the sauropod stood, there would have been no early warning signs.
-
What was the likely orientation of a sauropod neck, and what was its range of motion?
Academic text (2007) -
The first description of a complete sauropod skull did not appear until 1884.
Academic text (2007) -
But given the length of sauropod necks, it was hard not to look to giraffes.
Academic text (2007) -
With a computer program called DinoMorph, Stevens created digital models of sauropod skeletons.
Academic text (2007) -
About ninety genera of sauropods have been named, but fewer than fifty are probably valid.
Academic text (1991) -
Unlike some of the smaller dinosaurs, the sauropods may not fit comfortably into warm-blooded or cold-blooded categories.
Academic text (1991) -
In the drier habitats of the Jurassic, where the sauropods thrived, the dominant plants grew more slowly.
Academic text (1991)
Synonyms
A very large plant-eating dinosaur with a small head, long neck and long tail
Compounds
- Specialized
A very large plant-eating dinosaur with a small head, long neck and long tail
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
sauropod = sauro + pod
The parts are Greek combining forms (sauro- 'lizard', -pod 'foot') that are not recognizable as standalone English words to an average B1 learner, so the meaning cannot be derived from the components.
Etymology
Sauropod comes from Greek parts sauros 'lizard' and pod 'foot', so the name means 'lizard-foot' and is related to the word dinosaur. These were giant plant-eating animals with very small heads and very long necks and tails, so the name helps you picture a huge lizard with big feet and a long neck.