Supersaurus is a genus of diplodocid sauropod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic period. The type species, S. vivianae, was first discovered by Vivian Jones of Delta, Colorado, in the middle Morrison Formation of Colorado in 1972. The fossil remains came from the Brushy Basin Member of the formation, dating between 153 and 145 million years ago. It is among the longest dinosaurs ever discovered, with the three known specimens reaching 33–40 meters (108–131 ft) in length, with the largest individual possibly exceeding 40 meters (130 ft) in size. Mass estimates for the WDC and BYU specimens tend to be around 35–44 metric tons in body mass. A potential second species, S. lourinhanensis (Dinheirosaurus), is known from Portugal and has been dated to a similar time.
J. A. Jensen. 1985. Three new sauropod dinosaurs from the Upper Jurassic of Colorado. The Great Basin Naturalist 45(4):697-709
Bibliography (3)
D. Lovelace, S. Hartman, and W. R. Wahl. 2005. Revised osteology of Supersaurus vivianae. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 25(3, suppl.):84A-85A
C. E. Turner and F. Peterson. 1999. Biostratigraphy of dinosaurs in the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of the Western Interior, U.S.A. Vertebrate Paleontology in Utah, Utah Geological Survey Miscellaneous Publication 99-1:77-114
J. A. Jensen. 1985. Three new sauropod dinosaurs from the Upper Jurassic of Colorado. The Great Basin Naturalist 45(4):697-709