Ledumahadi (meaning "a giant thunderclap" in the Sesotho) is a species of sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Early Jurrassic, Elliot Formation, South Africa. The only known species is L. mafube, which is known from a singular incomplete postcranial fossil. Speculated to be a quadrupedal animal, it was one of the first giant species of sauropodomorphs, likely reaching a weight of around 12 tonnes (26,000 lb), despite not having evolved columnar limbs like its later relatives.
Description[]
Ledumahadi depiction/art by artist cisiopurple
Ledumahadi was speculated to being a quadruped, as determined by analysis of the circumference of its humerus and femur compared to other dinosaurs. It likely would've had very large, robust forelimbs, consistent with those of its relatives. Unlike those of later sauropods, these limbs were naturally flexed, as opposed to being purely columnar.
At its time in the Early Jurrassic, the Ledumahadi is speculated to have been the largest known land animal that had ever lived in its time. It is estimated to have reached a maximum size of around 12 tonnes (26,000 lbs) in weight; well over twice any confident weight estimates for a Triassic sauropod, and still significantly larger than the highest estimates for the Lessemsaurus; even early true sauropods, such as the Vulcanadon, are not known to have been this large; L. mafube was more comparable to the later evolved sauropod species such as Diplodocus in weight.
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