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Somphospondyli
Somphospondyli is an extinct clade of titanosauriform sauropods that lived from the Late Jurassic until the end of the Late Cretaceous, comprising all titanosauriforms more closely related to Titanosauria proper than Brachiosauridae. The remains of somphospondylans have been discovered in all six continents. Classification The group has officially been defined under the PhyloCode as the largest clade containing ''Saltasaurus loricatus'', but not ''Giraffatitan brancai.'' Features found as diagnostic of this clade by Mannion ''et al.'' (2013) include the possession of at least 15 cervical vertebrae; a bevelled radius bone end; sacral vertebrae with camellate internal texture; convex posterior articular surfaces of middle to posterior caudal vertebrae; biconvex distal caudal vertebrae; humerus anterolateral corner "squared"; among multiple others. The following cladogram depicts the reference phylogeny used to defined Somphospondlyi under the PhyloCode The ''International Code ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Titanosauria
Titanosaurs (or titanosaurians; members of the group Titanosauria) were a diverse group of sauropod dinosaurs, including genera from all seven continents. The titanosaurs were the last surviving group of long-necked sauropods, with taxa still thriving at the time of the extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous. This group includes some of the largest land animals known to have ever existed, such as ''Patagotitan''—estimated at long with a weight of —and the comparably-sized ''Argentinosaurus'' and ''Puertasaurus'' from the same region. The group's name alludes to the mythological Titans of ancient Greek mythology, via the type genus (now considered a ''nomen dubium)'' ''Titanosaurus''. Together with the brachiosaurids and relatives, titanosaurs make up the larger sauropod clade Titanosauriformes. Titanosaurs have long been a poorly-known group, and the relationships between titanosaur species are still not well-understood. Description Titanosauria have the largest ran ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sibirotitan
''Sibirotitan'' ("Siberian titan") is a genus of somphospondyl sauropod from the Ilek Formation of Russia. The type and only species is ''S. astrosacralis''. Discovery and naming The material assigned to ''Sibirotitan'' was found in the Shestakovo 1 locality of the Ilek Formation, deposited in a cliff on the Kiya River's right bank, near Shestakovo Village in Kemerovo Province, West Siberia, Russia. Vertebrate remains were first recovered in 1953, and larger dinosaur fossils were found later in the sixties. Definitive sauropod remains were first discovered during expeditions in 1994 and 1995. In 2002, a reasonably complete foot would be described by Russian vertebrate paleontologist Alexander Averianov and colleagues; there was insufficient material to name the taxon, but they identified it as a member of Titanosauriformes, noting teeth from the locality indicated possible brachiosaur identity, but that a caudal vertebra from a nearby locality indicated the presence of a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Titanosauriformes
Macronaria is a clade of sauropod dinosaurs. Macronarians are named after the large diameter of the nasal opening of their skull, known as the external naris, which exceeded the size of the orbit, the skull opening where the eye is located (hence ''macro''- meaning large, and –''naria'' meaning nose). Fossil evidence suggests that macronarian dinosaurs lived from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) through the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian). Macronarians have been found globally, including discoveries in Argentina, the United States, Portugal, China, and Tanzania. Like other sauropods, they are known to have inhabited primarily terrestrial areas, and little evidence exists to suggest that they spent much time in coastal environments. Macronarians are diagnosed through their distinct characters on their skulls, as well as appendicular and vertebral characters. Macronaria is composed of several subclades and families notably including Camarasauridae and Titanosauriformes, among severa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brontomerus
''Brontomerus'' (from Greek ''bronte'' meaning "thunder", and ''merós'' meaning "thigh") is a possibly dubious genus of camarasauromorph sauropod which lived during the early Cretaceous (Aptian or Albian age, approximately 110 million years ago). It was named in 2011 and the type species is ''Brontomerus mcintoshi''. It is probably a fairly basal camarasauromorph, though the taxon is difficult to resolve due to incompleteness of the material. It is most remarkable for its unusual hipbones, which would have supported the largest thigh muscles, proportionally, of any known sauropod. The specific name is in honor of physicist and North American sauropod expert John "Jack" Stanton McIntosh. Description ''Brontomerus'' is known from two fragmentary specimens differing in size, likely a juvenile and an adult. The researchers speculate that the adult may have been the mother of the juvenile. The type specimen, OMNH 66430, is represented by the left ilium of the smaller individual. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triunfosaurus
''Triunfosaurus'' (meaning "Triunfo Basin reptile") is a genus of somphospondylan sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil. It contains a single species, ''T. leonardii'', described by Carvalho ''et al.'' in 2017. As a genus, ''Triunfosaurus'' can be distinguished from all other titanosaurs by the unique proportions of its ischium. It was initially described as a basal titanosaur, making it the earliest basal titanosaur known; however, subsequent research questioned the identification of the taxon as a titanosaur, instead reassigning it to the Somphospondyli. Description ''Triunfosaurus'' can be distinguished from other titanosaurs by two autapomorphies, or unique traits that distinguish it from other titanosaurs. Namely, the part of the ischium touching the pubis is half the height of the entire ischium, and the shaft of the ischium makes an angle of less than 70° with the acetabular portion, which contributes to the hip socket. It also presents a unique combi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Padillasaurus
''Padillasaurus'' is an extinct genus of titanosauriform sauropod known from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian stage) Paja Formation in Colombia. It contains a single species, ''Padillasaurus leivaensis'', known only from a single partial axial skeleton. Initially described as a brachiosaurid, it was considered to be the first South American brachiosaurid ever discovered and named. Before its discovery, the only known brachiosaurid material on the continent was very fragmentary and from the Jurassic period. However, a more recent study finds it to be a basal somphospondylan. Discovery The fossil was discovered by local farmers in a limestone nodule during the 1990s in Ricaurte, northeast of Villa de Leyva. The exact site of the find is unknown, however the rock matrix in which the fossil was located contains ammonite fossils bellowing to the species '' Gerhardtia galeatoides'' and ''Lytoceras'' sp., that allow the establishment of their origin in the middle Paja Formation which has ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Euhelopodidae
Euhelopodidae is a family of sauropod dinosaurs of disputed membership and affinities, which contains ''Euhelopus'' and its close relatives. Most proposed euhelopodids are from East Asia. Euhelopodidae was first recognized by Carl Wiman in 1929, under the name Helopodidae, as ''Euhelopus'' was originally named ''Helopus''. However, the name had already been proposed for a bird, so in 1956 Alfred Sherwood Romer proposed the name ''Euhelopus'' and Euhelopodinae as replacements; Romer classified Euhelopodinae as a subfamily of Brachiosauridae, in which he also included Camarasaurinae and Cetiosaurinae, rather than as a family of its own. In addition to ''Euhelopus'' itself, Romer included ''Chiayusaurus'', ''Omeisaurus'', and ''Tienshanosaurus'' in Euhelopodinae. The taxonomic content of Euhelopodidae is uncertain, as a result of the unstable position of ''Euhelopus'' itself. Some studies have concluded that ''Euhelopus'' is a non-neosauropod closely related to ''Mamenchisaurus'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sauroposeidon
''Sauroposeidon'' ( ; meaning "lizard earthquake god", after the Greek god Poseidon) is a genus of sauropod dinosaur known from several incomplete specimens including a bone bed and fossilized trackways that have been found in the U.S. states of Oklahoma, Wyoming, and Texas. The fossils were found in rocks dating from near the end of the Early Cretaceous (Aptian–early Albian), from about 113 to 110 million years ago, a time when sauropod diversity in North America had greatly diminished. It was the last known North American sauropod prior to an absence of the group on the continent of roughly 40 million years that ended with the appearance of ''Alamosaurus'' during the Maastrichtian. While the holotype remains were initially discovered in 1994, due to their unexpected age and unusual size they were initially misclassified as pieces of petrified wood. A more detailed analysis in 1999 revealed their true nature which resulted in a minor media frenzy, and formal publication of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ruixinia
''Ruixinia'' is an extinct genus of somphospondylan titanosauriform dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) Yixian Formation of China. The genus contains a single species, ''Ruixinia zhangi''. The ''Ruixinia'' holotype is a partial articulated skeleton with the most complete series of caudal vertebrae known from any Asian titanosauriform. Discovery and naming The ''Ruixinia'' holotype specimen, ELDM EL-J009, was found in sediments of the Yixian Formation in Beipiao, Liaoning Province, northeastern China. This locality is dated to the Barremian age of the Early Cretaceous period. The fossil material consists of a partial articulated skeleton including cervical, dorsal, and sacral vertebrae, caudal vertebrae and associated chevrons, dorsal ribs, and a left ilium, pubis, femur, tibia, astragalus, metatarsal V, and possible pedal phalanx. At the time of its description, the fossil material was still partially embedded in matrix, with only the left side of the bones ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pukyongosaurus
''Pukyongosaurus'' (meaning "Pukyong lizard", after the Pukyong National University) is a genus of titanosauriform dinosaur that lived in South Korea during the Early Cretaceous period (Aptian - Albian). It may have been closely related to ''Euhelopus'', and is known from a series of vertebrae in the neck and back. The characteristics that were originally used to distinguish this genus have been criticized as being either widespread or too poorly preserved to evaluate, rendering the genus an indeterminate nomen dubium among titanosauriforms. The 2022 study noted that ''Pukyongosaurus'' is probably a somphospondylan. Discovery In 2001, several fragments of a sauropod skeleton were discovered in the Hasandong Formation in Hadong County, South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western borde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gobititan
''Gobititan'' is a genus of herbivorous sauropod dinosaur from the Aptian faunal stage of the Early Cretaceous. The name of this genus is derived from the Gobi desert region and the Titans of Greek mythology, which is a reference to its large body size. The specific name ''shenzhouensis'', is derived from "Shenzhou", an ancient name for China. Description ''Gobititan'' can be distinguished from other titanosauriforms based on features of the caudal vertebrae. Compared with advanced titanosaurs, where the number of caudal vertebrae had been reduced to less than 35, ''Gobititan'' had a relatively high number of caudal vertebrae, which was interpreted as a basal trait. Gregory S. Paul estimated that ''Gobititan'' was long and weighed . Discovery and naming The genus is based on one partial skeleton, holotype IVPP 12579, which consists of a series of 41 caudal vertebrae and an incomplete left hindlimb. Its remains were recovered in the summer of 1999 at the "Middle Gray unit" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dongyangosaurus
''Dongyangosaurus'' is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. The only species is ''Dongyangosaurus sinensis'', from which only a single fragmentary skeleton is known, coming from the Zhejiang province of eastern China. It was described and named by Lü Junchang and colleagues. Like other sauropods, ''Dongyangosaurus'' would have been a large quadrupedal herbivore. Description The only skeleton (holotype DYM 04888) is stored in the Dongyang Museum (Dongyang, Zhejiang). It consists of ten dorsal vertebrae, the sacrum, two caudal vertebrae as well as the complete pelvis. The skeleton was found articulated. ''Dongyangosaurus'' was a midsized sauropod, measuring approximately 50 ft (15 m) in length and 15 ft (5 m) in height. The dorsal vertebrae were characterized by eye shaped pleurocoels and low bifurcated neural spines. The sacrum consisted of six fused sacral vertebrae, a feature unique to somphospondylans. The caudal vertebrae were amphic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
