Dr. Sereno discovered the first skeleton of Jobaria with the help of Niger's Touareg tribesmen, who led him to a place where it's fossilized bones were exposed, jutting out of the desert rock. In Touareg legend, these bones come from a mythical beast named "Jobar."

After excavating this skeleton and others in the region, Dr. Sereno's team realized that "Jobar's" bones actually belonged to a new species of sauropod (or 'long-necked') dinosaur. In honor of the Touareg legend, Dr. Sereno and his team decided to name the sauopod "Jobaria".