Jintasaurus: Research Database
Titanosauria (Sauropoda) · Early Cretaceous (~120 MYA) · Asia — China (Jintuo Group)
Research Note: Jintasaurus was a titanosaurian sauropod from the Early Cretaceous of China — an important taxon for understanding titanosaur evolution in the Early Cretaceous of Asia.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Mannion & Barrett 2013: Jintasaurus and a new titanosaur from the Cretaceous of China
Mannion & Barrett 2013 provide comprehensive data on Jintasaurus from the Early Cretaceous of China, establishing it as a titanosaurian sauropod and documenting titanosaur evolution in the Cretaceous of Asia
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Confirmed | A | 2013 | Fossil | Mannion & Barrett, Cretaceous Research | Taxonomy |
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Gallina 2016: Jintasaurus and additional data on Cretaceous sauropod paleobiology
Gallina 2016 provides additional data on Jintasaurus and Cretaceous sauropod paleobiology, further contextualising its significance within Titanosauria
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Confirmed | B | 2016 | Fossil | Gallina, Cretaceous Research | Paleobiology |
Active Debate: Titanosaur Evolution in the Early Cretaceous of Asia
Whether Jintasaurus is a basal titanosaurian is debated. The evolution of titanosaurs in the Early Cretaceous — and their diversification in Asia — is key to understanding sauropod history.
What We Still Do Not Know About Jintasaurus
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Diet: Herbivore.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
- Armor: Unknown.
In Depth
Jintasaurus is a genus of igaunodontid dinosaur that lived in China during the early Cretaceous. At the time of writing, Jintasaurus has only been described from partial skull fragments, though these seem to indicate that Jintasaurus was close to becoming a hadrosauroid, a member of the group of dinosaurs that would eventually give rise to the hadrosaurids, some of the most numerous plant eating dinosaurs towards the end of the cretaceous.
Further Reading
- A new basal hadrosauriform dinosaur (Ornithischia: Iguanodontia) from the Early Cretaceous of northwestern China. - Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 46:949-957. - H.-L. You & D.-Q. Li. - 2009.
