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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 '' Apatosaurus'', '' Argentinosaurus'', '' Alamosaurus'', ''Brachiosaurus'', '' Camarasaurus'', '' Diplodocus,'' and '' Mamenchisaurus''. 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 g ... [...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 (phylogenetics), 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 e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eusauropoda
Eusauropoda (meaning "True Lizard Foot") is a derived clade of sauropod dinosaurs. Eusauropods represent the node-based group that includes all descendant sauropods starting with the basal eusauropods of '' Shunosaurus'', and possibly '' Barapasaurus'', and '' Amygdalodon'', but excluding ''Vulcanodon'' and '' Rhoetosaurus''. The Eusauropoda was coined in 1995 by Paul Upchurch to create a monophyletic new taxonomic group that would include all sauropods, except for the vulcanodontids. Eusauropoda are herbivorous, quadrupedal, and have long necks. They have been found in South America, Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, and Africa. The temporal range of Eusauropoda ranges from the early Jurassic to the Latest Cretaceous periods. The most basal forms of eusauropods are not well known and because the cranial material for the ''Vulcanodon'' is not available, and the distribution of some of these shared derived traits that distinguish Eusauropoda is still completely clear. Howeve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vulcanodon
''Vulcanodon'' (meaning "volcano tooth") is an extinct genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic Uppermost Forest Sandstone of southern Africa. The only known species is ''V. karibaensis''. Discovered in 1969 in Zimbabwe, it was regarded as the earliest-known sauropod for decades, and is still one of the most basal (phylogenetics), primitive sauropods that has been discovered. As a quadrupedal, terrestrial animal, ground-dwelling herbivore, ''Vulcanodon'' already showed the typical sauropod body plan with column-like legs and a long neck and tail. It was smaller than most other sauropods, measuring approximately in length. ''Vulcanodon'' is known from a fragmentary skeleton including much of the pelvis, pelvic girdle, hindlimbs, forearms, and tail, but lacking the trunk and neck vertebrae as well as the skull. Originally, this genus was believed to be a prosauropod because of the knife-shaped teeth found near its fossils, which fit in with the idea that prosauropods we ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giraffatitan
''Giraffatitan'' (name meaning "titanic giraffe") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived during the late Jurassic Period (geology), Period (Kimmeridgian–Tithonian stages) in what is now Lindi Region, Tanzania. Only one species is known, ''G. brancai'', named in honor of Germans, German paleontologist Wilhelm von Branca, who was a driving force behind the expedition that discovered it in the Tendaguru Formation. ''Giraffatitan brancai'' was originally described by German paleontologist Werner Janensch as a species of the North American sauropod ''Brachiosaurus'' from the Morrison Formation, as ''Brachiosaurus brancai''. Recent research shows that the differences between the type species of ''Brachiosaurus'' and the Tendaguru material are so large that the African material should be placed in a separate genus. ''Giraffatitan'' was for many decades known as the largest dinosaur but recent discoveries of several larger dinosaurs prove otherwise; giant titanosaurians app ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ohmdenosaurus
''Ohmdenosaurus'' () 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 the village of Ohmden. The specimen, which was originally identified as a plesiosaur, is exhibited in a local museum, the Posidonia Shale#Urweltmuseum Hauff, Urweltmuseum Hauff. In the 1970s, it caught the attention of German palaeontologist Rupert Wild, who recognised it as the remains of a sauropod. Wild named ''Ohmdenosaurus'' in a 1978 publication; the only known species is ''Ohmdenosaurus liasicus''. One of the earliest known sauropods, ''Ohmdenosaurus'' was quadrupedal (four-legged) and already had the columnar limbs typical for the group. It was small for a sauropod, with an estimated length of . Its relationships to other sauropods remain uncertain due to the incompleteness of its remains, though one study concluded it was a eusauropod. The Posidoni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tazoudasaurus
''Tazoudasaurus'' is a genus of gravisaurian, probably a vulcanodontidae, vulcanodontid sauropod dinosaurs hailing from the late Early Jurassic (Toarcian), that was recovered in the "Toundoute Continental Series" (Azilal Formation) located in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco in North Africa. Along with ''Patagosaurus'', ''Volkheimeria'', ''Bagualia'' and ''Perijasaurus'' (as well maybe ''Barapasaurus'' and ''Kotasaurus'') represents one of the few sauropods named from this stage on Gondwana, as well as the only one from Africa. Discovery and naming Back in the early 2000s, several excavations took place in the High Atlas near Toundoute, in the province of Ouarzazate, where a series 300 m thick continental redbeds are exposed. In these redbeds, two main fossiliferous localities were initially denominated "To1 site" and excavated in the Duar of Tazouda, a hill near Toundoute, separated 30 m from each other. The remains, consisting of the holotype, a partial adult skeleton and cra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amargasaurus
''Amargasaurus'' (; "La Amarga lizard") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous epoch (geology), epoch (129.4–122.46 Mya (unit), mya) of what is now Argentina. The only known skeleton was discovered in 1984 and is virtually complete, including a fragmentary skull, making ''Amargasaurus'' one of the best-known sauropods of its epoch. ''Amargasaurus'' was first species description, described in 1991 and contains a single known species, ''Amargasaurus cazaui''. It was a large animal, but small for a sauropod, reaching in length. Most distinctively, it sported two parallel rows of tall spines down its neck and back, taller than in any other known sauropod. In life, these spines could have stuck out of the body as solitary structures that supported a keratinous sheath. An alternate hypothesis, now more favored, postulates that they could have formed a scaffold supporting a Neural spine sail, skin sail. They might have been used for display, combat, or defense. ' ... [...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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinshakiangosaurus
''Chinshakiangosaurus'' (JIN-shah-jiahng-uh-SOR-us, meaning "Chinshakiang lizard") is a genus of dinosaur and probably one of the most basal sauropods known. The only species, ''Chinshakiangosaurus chunghoensis'', is known from a fragmentary skeleton found in Lower Jurassic rocks in China. ''Chinshakiangosaurus'' is one of the few basal sauropods with preserved skull bones and therefore important for the understanding of the early evolution of this group. It shows that early sauropods may have possessed fleshy cheeks. Description and feeding Like all sauropods, it was a large, quadrupedal herbivore with long neck and tail. The body length of the only specimen is estimated at 12 to 13 meters. The remains consists of the dentary (the tooth bearing bone of the mandible) including teeth as well as several parts of the postcranium. By now, only the dentary and the teeth were studied extensively; the remaining skeleton still awaits a proper description. The dentary was curved i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gongxianosaurus
''Gongxianosaurus'' is a genus of basal sauropod dinosaur from the early Jurassic Period (Sinemurian- Pliensbachian stage). The only species is ''Gongxianosaurus shibeiensis''. Based on four fragmentary to complete specimens found in the Ziliujing Formation, 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 sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isanosaurus
''Isanosaurus'' ("North-eastern Thailand lizard") is an extinct genus of sauropod dinosaur from Thailand. It was originally dated to approximately 219-199 Mya (unit), million years ago during the Late Triassic (late Norian to Rhaetian stages), which would make it one of the oldest known sauropods. Its age was later considered uncertain, and may be Early Jurassic or even as young as Late Jurassic. The only species is ''Isanosaurus attavipachi''. Though important for the understanding of sauropod origin and early evolution, ''Isanosaurus'' is poorly known. Exact relationships to other early sauropods remain unresolved. Discovery and naming The specimen was found in dark red sandstone of the Nam Phong Formation near the village of Ban Non Thaworn, in Chaiyaphum Province. When discovered in 1998, the skeleton had unfortunately been mostly eroded away. With regard to vertebrate fossils, the Nam Phong Formation is poorly explored: besides ''Isanosaurus'', only two articulated is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patagotitan
''Patagotitan'' is a genus of titanosaurian sauropoda, sauropod dinosaur from the Cerro Barcino Formation in Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina. The genus contains a single species known from at least six young adult individuals, ''Patagotitan mayorum'', which was first announced 2014 in science, in 2014 and then named 2017 in archosaur paleontology, in 2017 by José Carballido and colleagues. Preliminary studies and press releases suggested that ''Patagotitan'' was the dinosaur size, largest known titanosaur and land animal overall, with an estimated length of and an estimated weight of . Later research revised the length estimate down to and weight estimates down to approximately , suggesting that ''Patagotitan'' was of a similar size to, if not smaller than, its closest relatives ''Argentinosaurus'' and ''Puertasaurus''. Still, ''Patagotitan'' is one of the most-known titanosaurs, and so its interrelationships with other titanosaurs have been relatively consistent in phylo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
