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Sauropoda
Sauropoda (), whose members are known as sauropods (; from ''wikt:sauro-, sauro-'' + ''wikt:-pod, -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 genus, 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 ... [...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] |
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] |
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] |
Barosaurus
''Barosaurus'' ( ) is a genus of giant, long-tailed, long-necked, herbivore, plant-eating Sauropoda, sauropod dinosaur closely related to the more familiar ''Diplodocus''. Remains have been found in the Morrison Formation from the Jurassic, Upper Jurassic Period (geology), Period of Colorado, Utah, South Dakota, and eastern Wyoming at Como Bluff. It is present in stratigraphic zones 2–5.Foster, J. (2007). "Appendix." ''Jurassic West: The Dinosaurs of the Morrison Formation and Their World''. Indiana University Press. pp. 327-329. The composite term ''Barosaurus'' comes from the Greek words ''barys'' (βαρυς) meaning "heavy" and ''sauros'' (σαυρος) meaning "lizard", thus "heavy lizard". Description ''Barosaurus'' was an enormous animal, with some adults measuring about in length and weighing about 12–20 metric tons (13–22 short tons).Paul, G.S., 2016, ''The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs 2nd edition'', Princeton University Press p. 213 The estima ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Omeisaurus
''Omeisaurus'' (meaning "Omei lizard") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Middle to Late Jurassic Period (Bathonian- Oxfordian stage) of what is now China. Its name comes from Mount Emei, where it was discovered in the lower Shaximiao Formation of Sichuan Province. Like most sauropods, ''Omeisaurus'' was herbivorous and large. The largest species, ''O. tianfuensis'', measured long, and weighed . Other species were much smaller, as the type species ''O. junghsiensis'' reached a size of in length and in body mass, and ''O. maoianus'' reached a size of and . Discovery and species Initial discovery and ''O. changshouensis'' The initial discovery of ''Omeisaurus'' was in 1936 when Charles Lewis Camp and Yang Zhongjian collected a partial skeleton from strata of the Shaximiao Formation in Sichuan, China.Young, C. C. (1939)On a new Sauropoda, with notes on other fragmentary reptiles from Szechuan ''Bulletin of the Geological Society of China'', ''19''(3), 279-315.Do ... [...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] |
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] |
Shunosaurus
''Shunosaurus'', meaning "Lizard from Sichuan", is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from Late Jurassic ( Oxfordian) beds in Sichuan Province in China, from 161 to 157 Million years ago. The name derives from "Shu", an ancient name for the Sichuan province. Discovery and species The first fossil of ''Shunosaurus'' was discovered in 1977 by a group of students, practising paleontological excavation at a road bank. The type species, ''Shunosaurus lii'', was described and named by Dong Zhiming, Zhou Shiwu and Zhang Yihong in 1983. The generic name derives from "Shu", an ancient name for Sichuan. The specific name honours hydrologist Li Bing, the governor of Sichuan in the third century BC. The holotype, IVPP V.9065, was collected from the Lower Xiashaximiao Formation near Dashanpu, Zigong. It consists of a partial skeleton. Later about twenty more major specimens were discovered, including several complete or near-complete skeletons, skulls and juveniles, making ''Shunosaurus'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pulanesaura
''Pulanesaura'' is an extinct genus of Basal (phylogenetics), basal sauropodiform known from the Early Jurassic (late Hettangian to Sinemurian) Upper Elliot Formation of the Free State (province), Free State, South Africa. It contains a single species, ''Pulanesaura eocollum'', known from partial remains of at least two subadult to adult individuals. Discovery and naming The remains of ''Pulanesaura'' were discovered in a small quarry in the farm Spion Kop 932 in the Senekal District of the Free State (province), Free State in 2004 by paleontologist Matthew Bonnan. The bones were excavated between 2004 and 2006, and studied by Blair McPhee as part of his dissertation since 2011. ''Pulanesaura'' was then described and named officially by Blair W. McPhee, Matthew F. Bonnan, Adam M. Yates, Johann Neveling and Jonah N. Choiniere in 2015 in paleontology, 2015 with the type species ''Pulanesaura eocollum''. The generic name is derived from the Sotho language, Sesoth word for "rain-mak ... [...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] |
Barapasaurus
''Barapasaurus'' ( ) is a genus of Basal (phylogenetics), basal sauropod dinosaur from Jurassic rocks of India. The only species is ''B. tagorei''. ''Barapasaurus'' comes from the lower part of the Kota Formation, which is of Early to Middle Jurassic age. 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. Discovery and naming All known fossils come from a single locality in the vicinity of the village of Pochampally, Pochampally Pin Code: 442504, bordering Telangana (Pochampally Sironcha Taluka, Gadchiroli District, Vidarbha, Maharastra, in central India). The first bones were discovered in 1958, but most specimens were unearthed in 1960 and 1961. In 1975, the finds were described scientific ... [...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] |
