Omnisaura

Dinosaur genus

Lourinhasaurus

Dantas et al. 1998

Lourinhasaurus is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 152.2–145.1 million years old, in Portugal.

Confidence labels
How sure are we?0 high9 medium1 lowHow we rate confidence

Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.

At a glance

Data as of 11 October 2026
152.2–145.1 Ma
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
252 million years ago20114366

The last non-bird dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago. That's as far from us as the end of this bar.

Named by
Dantas et al. 1998
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Described in
P. Dantas, J. L. Sanz, C. M. da Silva, F. Ortega, V. F. dos Santos, M. Cachão (1998). Lourinhasaurus n. gen. Novo dinossáurio saurópode do Juássico superior (Kimeridgiano superior-Titoniano inferior) de Portugal [Lourinhasaurus n. gen. New sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic (upper Kimmeridgian-lower Tithonian) of Portugal]. Actas do V Congresso Nacional de Geologia (Resumos Alargados). Comunicações del Instituto Geológico e Mineiro 84(1): A91–A94.
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority (Dantas et al. 1998).
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.

Lived
Kimmeridgian to Tithonian, 152.2–145.1 million years ago
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Omnisaura calculation152.2–145.1 million years ago, from its dated fossil records
mediummedium: Omnisaura's calculation from 4 confirmed PBDB records.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Fossils found in
Portugal
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (4 records).
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).

Rock formations
Lourinhã
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (4 records).
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.

Family
Camarasauridae
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Parent group
Camarasauridae
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Diet
herbivore (inferred for its group)
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this, and it infers it for the whole of Sauropoda, the group this genus belongs to, not from this genus's own fossils.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB, inferred from a group the genus belongs to.

Way of life
ground dwelling, gregarious (inferred for its group)
lowlow: PBDB infers this way of life for the whole of Sauropoda; behaviour is rarely known for one genus.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB, inferred from a group the genus belongs to.

Known from
Bones
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).

Sources: Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0), Wikidata (CC0 1.0)Confidence levels and gaps are Omnisaura's own assessment.

Gaps are answers

What isn't known yet

  • Type species: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Order: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Common names: no source we use gives it yet.
  • What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Held back: 1 fossil record left out: identified only tentatively (for example "cf.", "?" or the name in quotation marks).
  • Resting on one source: 5 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): authority (PBDB); parent group (PBDB); family (PBDB); age (headline) (PBDB); diet (PBDB).

Size and appearance aren't covered yet, and diet and way of life only as PBDB infers them for the wider group. Omnisaura leaves the rest out rather than guess.

Where sources disagree

None open. Where our sources overlap, they agree on everything shown here.

Did it meet…?

?

No. Lourinhasaurus had gone at least 61.5 million years before Tyrannosaurus appears in the fossil record.

Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.

Connections

Genera linked to Lourinhasaurus by where and when their fossils were found, by classification and by who named them. Select a name to open its page.

LourinhasaurusSame rocks, same timeSame familyAlso found in PortugalDacentrurusDeltapodusTorvosaurusCeratosaurusand 4 moreCamarasaurusDinehichnusAllosaurusBrontopodusLourinhanosaurusand 13 more

Same rocks, same time 8

Genera found in the same rock units, from rocks of overlapping age, the most shared fossil sites first.

DacentrurusDeltapodusTorvosaurusCeratosaurusAllosaurusLourinhanosaurusTherangospodusZby

Same family: Camarasauridae 1

Other genera in Camarasauridae with a full profile.

Camarasaurus

Found in Portugal 17

Other genera found in Portugal, from rocks of overlapping age, the most fossil sites there first.

DacentrurusDeltapodusDinehichnusCeratosaurusTorvosaurusAllosaurusBrontopodusLourinhanosaurusLusovenatorZbyAviatyrannisCompsognathusLosillasaurusMegalosauripusParabrontopodusStegosaurusand 1 more

Credits

Where this page comes from

  • Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
  • WikidataCC0 1.0 · names and identifiers
  • OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
  • PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
  • Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines