Rebbachisaurus: Research Database
Rebbachisauridae (Sauropoda) · Late Cretaceous (~99–94 MYA) ·> Africa — Morocco (Kem Kem Basin)
Research Note: Rebbachisaurus was a rebbachisaurid sauropod from the Late Cretaceous Kem Kem Basin of Morocco. As a member of Rebbachisauridae, it provides important data on sauropod diversity and evolution in the Cretaceous of Africa.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Mannion 2009: Rebbachisaurus and rebbachisaurid diversity in the Cretaceous of Africa
Mannion 2009 provide comprehensive data on Rebbachisaurus and rebbachisaurid diversity from the Late Cretaceous Kem Kem Basin of Morocco, establishing it as a rebbachisaurid sauropod and documenting its significance for understanding sauropod diversity in the Cretaceous of Africa
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Confirmed | A | 2009 | Fossil | Mannion, Cretaceous Research | Taxonomy |
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Canudo & Carballido 2018: New data on rebbachisaurid diversity and phylogeny
Canudo & Carballido 2018 provide additional data on rebbachisaurid diversity and phylogeny, contextualising Rebbachisaurus within the broader evolutionary history of sauropod dinosaurs
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Confirmed | B | 2018 | Fossil | Canudo & Carballido, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica | Phylogeny |
Active Debate: Rebbachisaurid Systematics and the Evolution of Diplodocoids
Whether Rebbachisaurus represents a basal or derived rebbachisaurid is debated.
What We Still Do Not Know About Rebbachisaurus
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Body mass: Estimated.
- Skin and soft tissue: Unknown.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
In Depth
One of the most notable details of Rebbachisaurus are the tall neural spines of the vertebrae, which either stood proud from the back, or supported a sail or hump that ran along the spine. Aside from this Rebbachisaurus was a fairly generic diplodocid sauropod with a large build, long neck and whip-like tail. However, the discovery of another very similar genus of sauropod called Rayososaurus in Argentina has raised the notion that South America and Africa may have been joined by a land bridge for longer than previously thought. The idea of the two being joined has always been around, since the two continents seem to have almost matching types of dinosaurs (for example, spinosaurids and carcharodontosaurids) during the Early Cretaceous. If the two continents were joined for longer, then that raises the possibility for what may one day be found in a place like South America which was for a long time assumed to have been completely isolated from the other continents early on in the Cretaceous.
Further Reading
- Sur les dinosauriens du Continental Intercalaire des Kem-Kem de la Daoura [On the dinosaurs from the Continental Intercalaire of the Kem Kem of the Doura], R. Lavocat - 1954. – Rebbachisaurus tessonei sp. nov. A new sauropod from the Albian-Cenomanian of Argentina; new evidence on the origin of the Diplodocidae. – GAlA No 11, pp. 13-33. – G. O. Calvo & L. Salgado – 1995. – Osteology of Rebbachisaurus garasbae Lavocat, 1954, a diplodocoid (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the early Late Cretaceous–aged Kem Kem beds of southeastern Morocco. – Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 35 (4). – J. A. Wilson & R. Allain – 2015.
