The discovery of three sauropod bones has allowed scientists to uncover more about the social lives of the dinosaurs that came after them. Prior to the 100-tonne creatures that spanned the length of three buses, another animal roamed the Earth. Macrocollum itaquii, unlike its decedents, was a small dinosaur that walked the Earth around 225 million years ago.
It was also one of the earliest long-necked dinosaurs and was only around the size of a car.
Palaeontologists discovered three sets of well-preserved bones in one of the most exciting finds in recent years.
The discovery, published in Biology Letters, the journal of the Royal Society, details what scientists have been able to determine so far following the unearthing in Brazil.
According to scientists, the remains were found together in a single “graveyard”.
Scientists believe that this indicates that sauropods were social creatures right from the start of their evolution.
Rodrigo Muller, a PhD student at the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, explained the significance of this find.
He said: “This gives us an amazing picture of how these animals lived, which has never been done before.
“If they died together, these dinosaurs probably lived together.”
Due to their teeth, scientists think that they were herbivores and used their long necks to reach higher up plants, similar to that of modern-day giraffes.
READ MORE: Titanoboa sighting: MONSTER snake living in the Amazon – SHOCK CLAIM
These dinosaurs lived during a time when flowering plants had yet to spread across the planet.
Because of this, they would have been forced to rely on ferns and the fir tree’s ancestors.
Around 225 million years ago, all of the continents were joined together into a single landmass known as Pangaea and would break apart around 175 million years ago.
At the time, they would have only walked on two legs and would not need to use all four until much later when they had to find other ways to support their weight.
Mr Muller said that he hopes that this find will help people gain a better understanding of their evolutionary history.