Magyarosaurus dacus ("Magyar lizard", after the people from Hungary) was a titanosaur sauropod from the end of the Cretaceous period 70-66 million years ago. Native to island of Hateg, presently Romania, it is notable for its extremely small size for sauropod standards, which is considered an example of insular dwarfism, where animals evolve smaller body sizes on islands to save on resources.
Dinosaur Planet (2003)[]
History and Design
The Magyarosaurus appears in the episode of Pod's Travels. It reuses the model of the mainland titanosaur (implicitly Ampelosaurus, and itself reusing the Saltasaurus model). Its brown and white.
Role
In the Dinosaur Planet episode “Pod’s Travels”, a herd of Magyarosaurus are seen in Hateg Island. Pod the Pyroraptor even watches one get killed by a pair of dwarf Tarascosaurus. Later, Pod and an Elopteryx flock confront three dwarf Tarascosaurus eating a Magyarosaurus carcass, with Pod killing the male with his sickle claws and the Elopteryx scaring away the two female Tarascosaurus. With the male Tarascosaurus dead and the females frightened away, Pod starts eating the dead Magyarosaurus.
Inaccuracies
Magyarosaurus did not look like a miniature Saltasaurus, but rather like a miniature Alamosaurus.
Unlike in Dinosaur Planet, Magyarosaurus was a prey dinosaur, but not for a dwarf species of Tarascosaurus, but rather for a large azhdarchid pterosaur named Hatzegopteryx, since no large theropod dinosaurs have ever reached Hateg Island in Romania. But the pterosaur had already been named while Dinosaur Planet was midway through production.
Cultural Significance
Gallery
Planet Dinosaur (2011)[]
History and Design
Role
A herd of Magyarosaurus appear in the final episode of BBC’s Planet Dinosaur, The Great Survivors, where their young serve as prey for the azhdarchid pterosaur Hatzegopteryx.
Inaccuracies
Cultural Significance
Gallery
Deadly Dinosaurs (2018)[]
History and Design
Role
Inaccuracies
Cultural Significance
Gallery