A huge herbivorous, or plant-eating, dinosaur, Jobaria inhabited parts of Saharan Africa approximately 135 million years ago during the Cretaceous period (144–65 million years ago).

The name Jobaria tiguidensis comes from both legend and geography particular to the Niger region where it was first discovered. Jobar comes from the legends of the Tuareg, a nomadic people native to the area—it is the name of a mythical creature associated with the dinosaur’s exposed bones. The word tiguidensis refers to a cliff located in the vicinity of Jobaria’s remains.

Fossil remains reveal that the gigantic Jobaria could grow as much as 70 feet (21 meters) in length and weighed roughly 20 tons. Its long, flexible neck had only 12 vertebrae, and thus was relatively short when compared to the later sauropods, most of which generally had 15 cervical bones. Jobaria had spoon-shaped teeth, a trait found among the earlier sauropods, and massive, elephant-like legs and feet. Bone measurements and footprint size suggest that Jobaria’s hind legs were considerably larger than its front legs, indicating that the animal bore more weight toward the rear of its body.

Jobaria is currently the only known valid sauropod from the Tiouraren, where it was discovered in 1997.