Rukwatitan

Name: Rukwatitan ‭(‬Rukwa titan‭)‬.
Phonetic: Ruk-wa-ty-tan.
Named By: Eric Gorscak,‭ ‬Patrick M.‭ ‬O'Connor,‭ ‬Nancy J.‭ ‬Stevens‭ & ‬Eric Roberts‭ ‬-‭ ‬2014.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Sauropoda,‭ ‬Titanosaur.
Species: R.‭ ‬bisepultus‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Estimated about‭ ‬9.1‭ ‬meters long.
Known locations: Tanzania.
Time period: Albian/Cenomanian boundary of the early/late Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Partial post cranial remains.




       Fossils of this titanosaur were found near lake Rukwa in the Rukwa Valley of Tanzania,‭ ‬so the eventual name of Rukwatitan was really just a foregone conclusion.‭ ‬At about nine meters long,‭ ‬the holotype appears to indicate that Rukwatitan was a fairly small genus of titanosaur.‭ ‬One area of note is that the fore limbs of Rukwatitan are estimated to have been about two metres long,‭ ‬making Rukwatitan relatively tall for its length.‭ ‬Rukwatitan is also noted as having similar features to another titanosaur named Malawisaurus,‭ ‬though there is no doubt that these two genera are distinct from one another.‭ ‬It is even conceivable that given there close geographical locations and similar temporal appearance in the Cretaceous,‭ ‬that Rukwatitan and Malawisaurus may have co-existed together in similar ecosystems.

Further reading
-‭ ‬The basal titanosaurian Rukwatitan bisepultus‭ (‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Sauropoda‭) ‬from the middle Cretaceous Galula Formation,‭ ‬Rukwa Rift Basin,‭ ‬southwestern Tanzania.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology,‭ ‬vol.‭ ‬34,‭ ‬No.‭ ‬5,‭ ‬2014,‭ ‬p.‭ ‬1133-1154‭ ( ‬DOI‭ ‬10.1080‭ ‬/‭ ‬02724634.2014.845568.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Eric Gorscak,‭ ‬Patrick M.‭ ‬O'Connor,‭ ‬Nancy J.‭ ‬Stevens‭ & ‬Eric Roberts‭ ‬-‭ ‬2014.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Random favourites