''Austrosaurus'' (; ) was an extinct genus of titanosaurian

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 ...

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 t ...

from the Allaru Formation, from the early

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

(112-105 million years ago) of Central-Western Queensland in Australia.

Discovery and species

The

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of seve ...

, QM F2361 (consisting of three blocks containing primitive and badly weathered vertebrae and rib fragments, with a further 5 large blocks and at least 10 smaller ones later assigned to the holotype as well), was discovered by Mr. H.B. Wade on Clutha Station near

Maxwelton Maxwelton is a historic single-story house in Memphis, Tennessee, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the only extant example in Memphis of a Victorian piano box house. It is currently a private residence. The pi ...

in north Queensland in 1932, who alerted the station manager H. Mackillop, who showed his brother who sent them to the Queensland Museum. ''Austrosaurus'' was described by Heber Longman in 1933.

Paleobiology

Originally it was thought that sauropods spent time near or in water to relieve weight from their legs. However, this theory is now rejected and it is believed that ''Austrosaurus'' like all sauropods lived on dry land. Fossil finds suggest a height of approximately 3.9 metres at the hip and 4.1 metres at the shoulder, which would have given it an almost level back.

Gregory S. Paul Gregory Scott Paul (born December 24, 1954) is an American freelance researcher, author and illustrator who works in paleontology, and more recently has examined sociology and theology. He is best known for his work and research on theropod dino ...

estimated its body size at in length and in body mass.

Classification

Initially, ''Austrosaurus'' was considered a

cetiosaurid Cetiosauridae is a family of sauropod dinosaurs which was first proposed by Richard Lydekker in 1888. While traditionally a wastebasket taxon containing various unrelated species, some recent studies have found that it may represent a natural cl ...

, like ''

Patagosaurus ''Patagosaurus'' (meaning "Patagonia lizard") is an extinct genus of eusauropod dinosaur from the Middle-Late Toarcian of Patagonia, Argentina. It was first found in deposits of the Cañadón Asfalto Formation, which date to around 179 to 177&nb ...

'' or ''

Shunosaurus ''Shunosaurus'', meaning "shu lizard", is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from Late Jurassic ( Oxfordian) beds in Sichuan Province in China, approximately 159±2 million years ago. The name derives from "Shu", an ancient name for the Sichuan ...

''. Hocknull ''et al.'' (2009) described the new sauropod ''

Wintonotitan ''Wintonotitan'' (meaning " Winton titan") is a genus of titanosauriform dinosaur from late Albian (Early Cretaceous)-age Winton Formation of Australia. It is known from partial postcranial remains. Description and history Fossils that are ...

'' from material that originally assigned to ''Austrosaurus'' by Coombs and Molnar in 1981.Coombs, W.P. and Molnar, R.E., 1981, Sauropoda (Reptilia, Saurischia) from the Cretaceous of Queensland: Queensland Museum, Memoirs, v. 20, pp. 351–372 Hocknull suggested that ''Austrosaurus mckillopi'' differed only slightly from the QMF 7292, the holotype of ''Wintonotitan wattsii'', and should be considered a ''

nomen dubium In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium'' it may be impossible to determine whether a s ...

''. Recently, Poropat ''et al.'' (2017) reported additional sauropod material from the ''Austrosaurus'' type locality and assigned them to the ''Austrosaurus'' holotype, finding the genus to be a valid titanosauriform tentatively assignable to

Somphospondyli Somphospondyli is an extinct clade of titanosauriform sauropods that lived from the Late Jurassic until the end of the Late Cretaceous, comprising all titanosauriforms more closely related to Titanosauria proper than Brachiosauridae. The remains ...

References

External links

Australian Sauropods

Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum, Winton, Qld

{{Taxonbar, from=Q135324 Titanosaurs Early Cretaceous dinosaurs of Australia Paleontology in Queensland Fossil taxa described in 1933 Taxa named by Albert Heber Longman Sauropods of Australia

Discovery and species

Paleobiology

Classification

References

Further reading

External links