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Volkheimeria Chubutensis
''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 d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toarcian
The Toarcian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, an age and stage in the Early or Lower Jurassic. It spans the time between 182.7 Ma (million years ago) and 174.1 Ma. It follows the Pliensbachian and is followed by the Aalenian. The Toarcian Age began with the Toarcian turnover, the extinction event that sets its fossil faunas apart from the previous Pliensbachian age. It is believed to have ended with a global cooling event known as the Comptum Cooling Event, although whether it represented a worldwide event is controversial. Stratigraphic definitions The Toarcian takes its name from the city of Thouars, just south of Saumur in the Loire Valley of France. The stage was introduced by French palaeontologist Alcide d'Orbigny in 1842, after examining rock strata of this age in a quarry near Thouars. In Europe this period is represented by the upper part of the Lias. The base of the Toarcian is defined as the place in the stratigraphic record where the ammonite genu ... [...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 mi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 definiti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isanosaurus
''Isanosaurus'' means "North-eastern thailand lizard" was a sauropod dinosaur from Thailand. It was originally dated to approximately 210 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 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. Description The only specimen includes a neck vertebra, a back vertebra and part of a second, six tail vertebra, two chevrons, fragmentary ribs, the right sternal plate, the right shoulder blade, and the left thigh bone (femur). This individual may have measured when alive; the thigh bone measures 76 centimetres in length. However, the vertebral neural arches have been found separated from the vertebral ce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pulanesaura
''Pulanesaura'' is an extinct genus of basal sauropod known from the Early Jurassic (late Hettangian to Sinemurian) Upper Elliot Formation of the 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 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 with the type species ''Pulanesaura eocollum''. The generic name is derived from the Sesoth word for "rain-maker/bringer", ''Pulane'', in reference to the heavy rain conditions under which the remains were collected, ... [...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, count ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ingentia
''Ingentia'' is a genus of early sauropod dinosaur from the Late Triassic (late Norian-Rhaetian) of Argentina. The type specimen of ''Ingentia'', PVSJ 1086, was discovered in the Quebrada del Barro Formation of northwestern Argentina. It was described in 2018 by Cecilia Apaldetti, Ricardo Nestor Martínez, Ignacio Alejandro Cerda, Diego Pol and Oscar Alcober who named the type and only species ''Ingentia prima'', meaning "first huge one", as the taxon was one of the first very large sauropodomorphs to evolve, along with its close relative '' Lessemsaurus''. A second specimen, PVSJ 1087, was referred, containing five tail vertebrae, both ulnae and radii, a left calfbone and a right foot. Classification A phylogenetic analysis performed by Apaldetti ''et al.'' found a new clade uniting ''Ingentia'', ''Lessemsaurus'' and '' Antetonitrus'', which they named Lessemsauridae. Like other lessemsaurids, ''Ingentia'' has highly pneumatic and very antero-posteriorly short but tall robust ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ledumahadi
''Ledumahadi'' (meaning "giant thunderclap" in Sesotho language) is a genus of lessemsaurid sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Early Jurassic Elliot Formation in Free State Province, South Africa. The type and only species is ''L. mafube'', known from a singular incomplete postcranial specimen. A quadruped, it was one of the first giant sauropodomorphs, reaching a weight of around , despite not having evolved columnar limbs like its later huge relatives. Description ''Ledumahadi'' was likely a quadruped, as determined by analysis of the circumference of its humerus and femur compared to those of other dinosaurs. It would have had very large, robust forelimbs, consistent with those of its relatives. Unlike those of later sauropods, these limbs were naturally flexed, as opposed to being purely columnar. Size At its time in the Early Jurassic epoch, ''Ledumahadi'' is thought to have been the largest land animal that had ever lived. At the age of 14 years, ''L. mafube'' is estimated ... [...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, 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 beginning of the developmen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lessemsaurus
''Lessemsaurus'' is an extinct genus of sauropod dinosaur belonging to Lessemsauridae. Naming and description The type species, ''L. sauropoides'', was formally described by José Fernando Bonaparte in 1999 in honor of Don Lessem, a writer of popular science books. It was found in the Los Colorados Formation of the Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin in La Rioja Province, Argentina.Weishampel, David B; ''et al.'', 2004. "Dinosaur distribution (Late Triassic, South America)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 527–528. . This dinosaur was around long and was discovered in strata dating to the Norian stage, around 210 million years ago. It is estimated to have reached in maximum body mass. Classification A cladogram after Pol, Garrido & Cerda, 2011, illustrates a possible placing of ''Lessemsaurus'' and ''Antetonitrus'' in Sauropodomorpha: In 2018, Apaldetti ''et al. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lessemsauridae
Lessemsauridae is a clade of early sauropodiform dinosaurs that lived in the Triassic and Jurassic of Argentina, South Africa and possibly Lesotho. A phylogenetic analysis performed by Apaldetti and colleagues in 2018 recovered a new clade of sauropodiforms uniting '' Lessemsaurus'', ''Antetonitrus'', and ''Ingentia'' which they named Lessemsauridae. It is a node-based taxon, defined as all descendants of the most recent common ancestor of ''Lessemsaurus sauropoides'' and ''Antetonitrus ingenipes''. Depending on the definition of Sauropoda, Lessemsauridae is either one of the most basal sauropod taxa, or a sister taxon of Sauropoda. An additional member of the clade was named later in 2018, ''Ledumahadi''. A 2021 study by Pol and colleagues also assigned the genera ''Kholumolumo'' and ''Meroktenos'' to the group. Lessemsaurids are recognised as very large quadrupeds that achieved giant sizes (up to 12 metric tons) independently of other giant sauropodomorphs. They had highly pne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aardonyx
''Aardonyx'' (Afrikaans ''aard'', "earth" + Greek , "nail, claw") is a genus of basal sauropodomorph dinosaur. It is known from the type species ''Aardonyx celestae'' found from the Early Jurassic Elliot Formation of South Africa. ''A. celestae'' was named after Celeste Yates, who prepared much of the first known fossil material of the species. It has arm features that are intermediate between prosauropods and sauropods. Based on the structure of the hind limbs and pelvic girdle of ''Aardonyx'', the dinosaur normally moved bipedally but could drop to quadrupedal movement similar to ''Iguanodon''. It shares some attributes with giant quadrupedal sauropods like ''Apatosaurus''.Associated Press (November 11, 2009)Scientists: New dinosaur species found in South AfricaNPR. Australian paleontologist Adam Yates and his team's discovery of the genus was published online before print in ''Proceedings of the Royal Society B'' in November 2009, and was scheduled to appear in the March 2010 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
