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Prehistoric Life

How long was Tanystropheus hydroides?

An adult Tanystropheus hydroides had a total length of about 6 m (20 ft).

What is measured: Adult, total body length

Tanystropheus hydroides (6 m) drawn to scale beside a doorway (2 m) and a 20-foot shipping container (6.06 m)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Doorway (2 m), Tanystropheus hydroides (6 m) and Shipping container (20 ft) (6.06 m).

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How big is that, really?

  • About the same length as a 20-foot shipping container
  • About 2 would fit end to end along a city bus
  • About 3 would fit end to end along a tennis court
  • About 8 would fit end to end along an Olympic swimming pool
  • About 3× the height of a doorway

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Facts about Tanystropheus hydroides

Tanystropheus had an extraordinarily elongated neck containing thirteen vertebrae, more than twice the number in humans.

Source: University of Zurich, “Tanystropheus”; Science, “A new look at the long-necked reptile Tanystropheus”

Prehistoric Life

NameSizeCompared with Tanystropheus hydroides
Iguanodon bernissartensis5 m (16 ft)0.83×
Kentrosaurus aethiopicus5 m (16 ft)0.83×
Paraceratherium transouralicum5.5 m (18 ft)0.92×
Ceratosaurus nasicornis6 m (20 ft)same size
Tanystropheus hydroides6 m (20 ft)this page
Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis6 m (20 ft)same size
Euoplocephalus tutus6 m (20 ft)same size
Pteranodon7 m (23 ft)1.2×
Argentavis magnificens7 m (23 ft)1.2×
Megalania prisca7 m (23 ft)1.2×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: Tanystropheus hydroides or Iguanodon bernissartensis?

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