''Zby'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

genus of turiasaurian

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 bo ...

dinosaur known from the Late Jurassic (late Kimmeridgian stage) of the Lourinhã Formation, central west Portugal. It contains a single species, ''Zby atlanticus''. It is named after

Georges Zbyszewski Georges may refer to: Places * Georges River, New South Wales, Australia * Georges Quay (Dublin) *Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania Other uses *Georges (name) * ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas * "Georges" (song), a 19 ...

, who studied the geology and paleontology of Portugal.

Description

''Zby'' was first described and named by Octávio Mateus, Philip D. Mannion and Paul Upchurch in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and the type species is ''Zby atlanticus'', although it was initially thought to be '' Turiasaurus riodevensis''. It is known solely from its holotype, a closely associated partial

skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

including a complete tooth with root, a fragment of cervical neural arch, an anterior chevron, and an almost complete right pectoral girdle and forelimb. ''Zby'' is differentiated from other sauropods based on four autapomorphies, including a prominent posteriorly projecting ridge on the

humerus The humerus (; ) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extremity consists of a roun ...

at the level of the deltopectoral crest. ''Zby'' is suggested to be closely related to ''Turiasaurus riodevensis'' from Spain and Portugal, based on its tooth morphology, extreme anteroposterior compression of the proximal end of the radius, and strong beveling of the lateral half of the distal end of the radius, while some other forelimb traits distinguish these two genera. Nearly all other anatomical features suggest that ''Zby'' is a non- neosauropod eusauropod, confirming its position as a turiasaurian. ''Zby'' is estimated to measure around 16 to 18 metres in length.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16778336 Turiasauria Kimmeridgian life Late Jurassic dinosaurs of Europe Jurassic Portugal Fossils of Portugal Lourinhã Formation Fossil taxa described in 2014 Taxa named by Octávio Mateus