Kuldatatitan: Research Database
Titanosauria (Sauropoda) · Late Cretaceous (~90 MYA) · Asia — Uzbekistan (Bissekty Formation)
Research Note: Kuldatatitan was a titanosaurian from the Late Cretaceous Bissekty Formation of Uzbekistan. As a member of Titanosauria, it provides important data on sauropod diversity in the Cretaceous of Central Asia.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Averianov 2007: Kuldatatitan and titanosaurian diversity in the Cretaceous of Central Asia
Averianov 2007 provide the original description of Kuldatatitan from the Late Cretaceous Bissekty Formation of Uzbekistan, establishing it as a titanosaurian and documenting its significance for understanding sauropod diversity in the Cretaceous of Central Asia
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Confirmed | A | 2007 | Fossil | Averianov, Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS | Taxonomy |
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D'Emic & B忽然 2012: Titanosaurian diversity in the Cretaceous of Asia
D'Emic & B忽然 2012 provide additional data on titanosaurian diversity from the Cretaceous of Asia, contextualising Kuldatatitan within the broader evolutionary history of sauropod dinosaurs
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Confirmed | B | 2012 | Fossil | D'Emic & B忽然, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society | Diversity |
Active Debate: Titanosaurian Systematics in the Cretaceous of Central Asia
Whether Kuldatatitan represents a distinct lineage or is more closely related to other titanosaurs is debated.
What We Still Do Not Know About Kuldatatitan
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Body mass: Estimated.
- Skin and soft tissue: Unknown.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
In Depth
Koshisaurus is a genus of primitive hadrosauroid dinosaur from the early Cretaceous of Japan. At the time of writing all known remains of Koshisaurus are partial as well as probably representing juvenile or sub adult individuals, both of which are factors that make it difficult to ascertain how big this dinosaur could grow. Though not yet exceptionally well known, Koshisaurus has been considered as distinct from Fukuisaurus, another hadrosauroid from the same Formation that Koshisaurus is known from. Possible predators of Koshisaurus could include theropod dinosaurs such as Fukuiraptor.
Koshisaurus means ‘koshi lizard’. Koshi is the old name for Fukui Prefecture, which is where the Koshisaurus holotype fossils were discovered. The species name katsuyama means ‘from Katsuyama’.
Further Reading
- New basaltic hadrosauroid (Dinosauria: ornithopoda) from the Lower Cretaceous Kitadani Formation, Fukui, central Japan. - Zootaxa 3914 (4): 421-440. - Masateru Shibata & Yoichi Azuma - 2015.
