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Gravisauria
Gravisauria is a clade of sauropod dinosaurs consisting of some genera, Vulcanodontidae and Eusauropoda.Allain, R. and Aquesbi, N. (2008). "Anatomy and phylogenetic relationships of ''Tazoudasaurus naimi'' (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the late Early Jurassic of Morocco." ''Geodiversitas'', 30(2): 345-424. Classification The clade Gravisauria was appointed by the French paleontologist Ronan Allain and Moroccan paleontologist Najat Aquesbi in 2008 when a cladistic analysis of the dinosaur found by Allain, ''Tazoudasaurus'', as the outcome was that the family Vulcanodontidae. The group includes ''Tazoudasaurus'' and ''Vulcanodon'', and the sister taxon Eusauropoda, but also certain species such as ''Antetonitrus'', ''Gongxianosaurus'' and ''Isanosaurus'' that do not belong in Vulcanodontidae but to an even more basic position occupied in Sauropoda. It made sense to have Sauropoda compared to this, more derived group that included Vulcanodontidae and Eusauropoda in a definition: Gra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spinophorosaurus
''Spinophorosaurus'' is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Niger during the Middle Jurassic period. The first two specimens were excavated in the 2000s by German and Spanish teams under difficult conditions. The skeletons were brought to Europe and digitally replicated, making ''Spinophorosaurus'' the first sauropod to have its skeleton 3D printed, and were to be returned to Niger in the future. Together, the two specimens represented most of the skeleton of the genus, and one of the most completely known basal sauropods of its time and place. The first skeleton was made the holotype specimen of the new genus and species ''Spinophorosaurus nigerensis'' in 2009; the generic name ("spine-bearing lizard") refers to what was initially thought to be spiked osteoderms, and the specific name (Niger and -ensis) refers to where it was found. A juvenile sauropod from the same area was later assigned to the genus. The subadult holotype specimen is estimated to have be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sauropoda
Sauropoda (), whose members are known as sauropods (; from '' sauro-'' + '' -pod'', 'lizard-footed'), is a clade of saurischian ('lizard-hipped') dinosaurs. Sauropods had very long necks, long tails, small heads (relative to the rest of their body), and four thick, pillar-like legs. They are notable for the enormous sizes attained by some species, and the group includes the largest animals to have ever lived on land. Well-known genera include ''Brachiosaurus'', ''Diplodocus'', ''Apatosaurus'' and ''Brontosaurus''. The oldest known unequivocal sauropod dinosaurs are known from the Early Jurassic. ''Isanosaurus'' and ''Antetonitrus'' were originally described as Triassic sauropods, but their age, and in the case of ''Antetonitrus'' also its sauropod status, were subsequently questioned. Sauropod-like sauropodomorph tracks from the Fleming Fjord Formation (Greenland) might, however, indicate the occurrence of the group in the Late Triassic. By the Late Jurassic (150 million yea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sauropod
Sauropoda (), whose members are known as sauropods (; from '' sauro-'' + '' -pod'', 'lizard-footed'), is a clade of saurischian ('lizard-hipped') dinosaurs. Sauropods had very long necks, long tails, small heads (relative to the rest of their body), and four thick, pillar-like legs. They are notable for the enormous sizes attained by some species, and the group includes the largest animals to have ever lived on land. Well-known genera include ''Brachiosaurus'', ''Diplodocus'', ''Apatosaurus'' and ''Brontosaurus''. The oldest known unequivocal sauropod dinosaurs are known from the Early Jurassic. ''Isanosaurus'' and ''Antetonitrus'' were originally described as Triassic sauropods, but their age, and in the case of ''Antetonitrus'' also its sauropod status, were subsequently questioned. Sauropod-like sauropodomorph tracks from the Fleming Fjord Formation (Greenland) might, however, indicate the occurrence of the group in the Late Triassic. By the Late Jurassic (150 million yea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gongxianosaurus
''Gongxianosaurus'' is a genus of basal sauropod dinosaur from the early Jurassic Period (Toarcian stage). The only species is ''Gongxianosaurus shibeiensis''. Based on four fragmentary to complete specimens found in China (Sichuan Province), it is one of the most completely known early sauropods. The skeleton is known in large part, missing both the hand and the majority of the skull. ''Gongxianosaurus'' was firstly named and described in a short note published in 1998; however, a comprehensive description has yet to be published. ''Gongxianosaurus shibeiensis'' was named for the place it was found, near the village Shibei in Gong County (珙县; Pinyin: Gǒng Xiàn). Description ''Gongxianosaurus'' may have reached in length. Like other sauropods, it moved quadrupedally (on four legs), as indicated by the elongated fore limbs that reached 70 to 75% of hind limb length. The pedal phalanges were short and robust, as typical for sauropods. The pedal phalangeal formula, countin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is the subject of active research. They became the dominant terrestrial vertebrates after the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event 201.3 mya; their dominance continued throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The fossil record shows that birds are feathered dinosaurs, having evolved from earlier theropods during the Late Jurassic epoch, and are the only dinosaur lineage known to have survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event approximately 66 mya. Dinosaurs can therefore be divided into avian dinosaurs—birds—and the extinct non-avian dinosaurs, which are all dinosaurs other than birds. Dinosaurs are varied from taxonomic, morphological and ecological standpoints. Birds, at over 10,700 living species, are among ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antetonitrus
''Antetonitrus'' is a genus of sauropod dinosaur found in the Early Jurassic Elliot Formation of South Africa. The only species is ''Antetonitrus ingenipes''. As one of the oldest known sauropods, it is crucial for the understanding of the origin and early evolution of this group. It was a quadrupedal herbivore, like all of its later relatives, but shows primitive adaptations to use the forelimbs for grasping, instead of purely for weight support. Discovery and naming Adam Yates (paleontologist), Adam Yates, an Australian expert on early sauropodomorphs, named ''Antetonitrus'' in a 2003 report co-authored by South African James Kitching. The name is derived from the Latin ''ante-'' ("before") and ''tonitrus'' ("thunder"), which refers to its existence, before other known sauropods, specifically ''Brontosaurus'' ("thunder lizard"). The one known species of ''Antetonitrus'' is called ''A. ingenipes'', from the Latin ''ingens'' ("massive") and ''pes'' ("foot"), because it shows the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Volkheimeria
''Volkheimeria'' is an extinct genus of sauropod dinosaurs that lived in what is now Argentina during the Early Jurassic, 178–179 million years ago. Its type and only species is ''Volkheimeria chubutensis''. Discovery and naming The only known specimen of ''Volkheimeria'' was discovered at the site of Cerro Cóndor Sur, roughly a kilometer west of the village of Cerro Cóndor in Chubut Province, Argentina. In 1979, José Bonaparte described it as representing a new genus and species, ''Volkheimeria chubutensis'', alongside two other species discovered in the same strata, ''Piatnitzkysaurus floresi'' and ''Patagosaurus fariasi''. The genus name ''Volkheimeria'' honors the Argentinean paleontologist Wolfgang Volkheimer. Fossil record Only a single specimen of ''Volkheimeria chubutensis'' is known: the holotype PVL 4077, a partial skeleton from the Cañadón Asfalto Formation of Argentina. This specimen consists of a partial cervical vertebra, two complete and two partial dorsa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mamenchisaurus
''Mamenchisaurus'' (or spelling pronunciation ) is a genus of sauropod dinosaur known for their remarkably long necks which made up nearly half the total body length. Numerous species have been assigned to the genus; however, many of these might be questionable. Fossils have been found in the Sichuan Basin and Yunnan Province in China. Several species are from the Upper Shaximiao Formation whose geologic age is uncertain. However, evidence suggests that this be no earlier than the Oxfordian stage of the Late Jurassic. ''M. sinocanadorum'' dates to the Oxfordian stage (158.7 to 161.2 mya) and ''M. anyuensis'' to the Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous around 114.4 mya. Most species were medium- to large-size sauropods in length.Russell, D.A., Zheng, Z. (1993). "A large mamenchisaurid from the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, People Republic of China." ''Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences'', (30): 2082-2095. Two as-yet-undescribed cervical vertebrae, which might belong to ''M. sinocanado ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhoetosaurus
''Rhoetosaurus'' (meaning "Rhoetos lizard"), named after Rhoetus, a titan in Greek Mythology, is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Jurassic ( Oxfordian) Walloon Coal Measures of what is now eastern Australia. ''Rhoetosaurus'' is estimated to have been about long, weighing about .Paul, G.S., 2010, ''The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs'', Princeton University Press p. 173 Subsequent authors have sometimes misspelled the name: ''Rhaetosaurus'' (de Lapparent & Laverat, 1955); ''Rheteosaurus'' (Yadagiri, Prasad & Satsangi, 1979). Discovery and species In 1924, Heber Longman, self-trained paleontologist at (and later director of) the Queensland Museum in Brisbane, learned of a large fossil reptile skeleton exposed in the Walloon Coal Measures at Durham Downs near Roma in southern inland Queensland. The station manager, Arthur Browne, forwarded fragments of bone to Longman, and was honoured with the dinosaur's specific name ''brownei''. The initial collection was of 22 tail ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ohmdenosaurus
''Ohmdenosaurus'' ("Ohmden lizard") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Early Jurassic epoch in what is now Germany. The only specimen – a tibia (shinbone) and ankle – was discovered in rocks of the Posidonia Shale near Holzmaden. The fossil was originally identified as a plesiosaur. Exhibited in a local museum, the Urweltmuseum Hauff, it caught the attention of German paleontologist Rupert Wild, who recognized it as the remains of a sauropod. Wild named ''Ohmdenosaurus'' in a 1978 publication, the only species is ''Ohmdenosaurus liasicus''. One of the earliest known sauropods, it was quadrupedal (four-legged) and already had the columnar limbs typical for the group. ''Ohmdenosaurus'' was small for a sauropod, with an estimated length of . Its relationships to other sauropods remain poorly known due to the incompleteness of its remains, though it might have been close to the Australian genus ''Rhoetosaurus''. The Posidonia Shale was deposited within a shal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barapasaurus
''Barapasaurus'' ( ) is a genus of basal sauropod dinosaur from Early Jurassic rocks of India. The only species is ''B. tagorei''. ''Barapasaurus'' comes from the lower part of the Kota Formation, that dates back to the Sinemurian and Pliensbachian stages of the early Jurassic. It is therefore one of the earliest known sauropods. ''Barapasaurus'' is known from approximately 300 bones from at least six individuals, so that the skeleton is almost completely known except for the anterior cervical vertebrae and the skull. This makes ''Barapasaurus'' one of the most completely known sauropods from the early Jurassic. Etymology The name ''Barapasaurus'' ("big-legged lizard") is derived from ''bara'' meaning 'big' and ''pa'' meaning 'leg' in several Indian languages including Bengali; the Greek word ''sauros'' means 'lizard'. This name was used as a ''nomen nudum'' since a femur measuring over 1.7 m was unearthed at 1961. The specific name ''tagorei'' means 'Tagore's', which honors ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vulcanodontidae
The Early Jurassic sauropod dinosaurs ''Zizhongosaurus'', ''Barapasaurus'', ''Tazoudasaurus'', and ''Vulcanodon'' may form a natural group of basal sauropods called the Vulcanodontidae. Basal vulcanodonts include some of the earliest known examples of sauropods. The family-level name Vulcanodontidae was erected by M.R. Cooper in 1984. In 1995 Hunt ''et al.'' published the opinion that the family is synonymous with the Barapasauridae. One of the key morphological features specific to the family is an unusually narrow sacrum The sacrum (plural: ''sacra'' or ''sacrums''), in human anatomy, is a large, triangular bone at the base of the spine that forms by the fusing of the sacral vertebrae (S1S5) between ages 18 and 30. The sacrum situates at the upper, back part .... References Cooper, M.R. (1984). "A reassessment of ''Vulcanodon karibaensis'' Raath (Dinosauria: Saurischia) and the origin of the Sauropoda". ''Palaeontologia Africana'' 25: 203–231. A. P. Hunt, M. G. Lockl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
