Jainosaurus

Jayn-o-sore-us.
Published on

Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Jainosaurus ‭(J‬ain’s lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Jayn-o-sore-us.

Named By

Classification

Chorsdata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Sauropoda,‭ ‬Titanosauridae,‭ ‬Saltasaurinae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

J.‭ ‬septentrionalis‭

Size

Estimated at‭ ‬18‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

India‭ ‬-‭ ‬Lameta Formation.‭

Time Period

Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial post cranial remains and skull elements.

In Depth

       Initially described as a species of Antarctosaurus by Charles Alfred Matley and Friedrich von Huene in‭ ‬1933,‭ ‬a‭ ‬1995‭ ‬study of the remains saw the material reclassified as its own genus,‭ ‬Jainosaurus.‭ ‬The genus is named after Indian palaeontologist Sohan Lal Jain‭ ‬who had previously conducted a lot of study upon the fossils,‭ ‬however Jain has since suggested that Jainosaurus may actually be a specimen of Titanosaurus.‭ ‬Despite this however Jainosaurus is still usually regarded as being a distinct genus.

       Jainosaurus would have shared its habitats with other dinosaurs such as Isisaurus,‭ ‬Rajasaurus and Indosaurus.

Further Reading

– The Cretaceous Saurischia and Ornithischia of the Central Provinces of India. – Palaeontologica Indica (New Series), Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India, 21(1): 1-74. F. von Huene & C. A. Matley – 1933. – The global sauropod fossil record. Aspects of Sauropod Paleobiology. – GAIA 10:261-279. – A. P. Hunt, M. G. Lockley, S. G. Lucas & C. A. Meyer – 1995. – Reassessment of Sauropod Dinosaur Jainosaurus (=”Antarctosaurus”) septentrionalis from the Upper Cretaceous of India. – Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, 32(2): 17-40. – Jeffery Wilson, Michael D’Emic, Christina A. Curry-Rogers, Dhananjay M. Mohabey & Subashis Sen – 2009.

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