Tambatitanis

Tam-bah-ty-tan-iss.
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Nisha Yadav

Physicist

Nisha Yadav is a dedicated physicist whose work bridges the gap between physics and paleontology. With a deep interest in the processes that preserve ancient life, she explores how physical principles govern fossilization and the preservation of extinct species.

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Name

Tambatitanis ‭(‬Tamba titan‭)‬.

Phonetic

Tam-bah-ty-tan-iss.

Named By

H.‭ ‬Saegusa‭ & ‬T.‭ ‬Ikeda‭ ‬-‭ ‬2014.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Sauropodoa,‭ ‬Macronaria.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

T.‭ ‬amicitiae‭

Size

Unavailable.

Known locations

Japan,‭ ‬Hyōgo Prefecture‭ ‬-‭ ‬Sasayama Group.

Time Period

Lower Albian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Braincase and partial post cranial skeletal remains.

In Depth

       Named after the city of Tamba in Japan,‭ ‬Tambatitanis is a genus of titanosaur that lived in what is now Japan during the early Cretaceous.‭ ‬Though so far only known from partial remains,‭ ‬the anterior caudal‭ (‬tail‭) ‬vertebrae of the holotype specimen have already caused a stir amongst palaeontologists because the neural spines of the vertebrae which usually just point upwards in other dinosaurs,‭ ‬actually curve around to face forwards.‭ ‬Why the neural spines should do this is not yet fully known,‭ ‬but the unusual shape of the vertebrae may have allowed for an altered musculature that enabled Tambatitanis to move their tails around in a different manner or even range of motion.‭ ‬This in turn might mean a lifestyle where the tail was used more,‭ ‬perhaps to signal other members of the same species.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new titanosauriform sauropod‭ (‬Dinosauria:‭ ‬Saurischia‭) ‬from the Lower Cretaceous of Hyogo,‭ ‬Japan.‭ ‬Zootaxa‭ ‬3848‭(‬1‭)‬:1-66.‭ ‬-‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Saegusa‭ & ‬T.‭ ‬Ikeda‭ ‬-‭ ‬2014.

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