Rukwatitan

Ruk-wa-ty-tan.
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John Stewart

Paleoecologist

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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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.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

R.‭ ‬bisepultus‭

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.

In Depth

       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.

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