Dongbeititan

Dongbeititan
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 125Ma
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Suborder: Sauropodomorpha
Clade: Somphospondyli
Genus: Dongbeititan
Wang X. et al., 2007
Type species
Dongbeititan dongi
Wang X. et al., 2007

Dongbeititan is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous-age Yixian Formation of Beipiao, Liaoning, China. It is based on holotype DNHM D2867, a partial postcranial skeleton including bones from the limbs, shoulder and pelvic girdles, and vertebrae. Its describers suggested it was as a basal titanosauriform, not as derived as Gobititan or Jiutaisaurus, but more derived than Euhelopus, Fusuisaurus, and Huanghetitan. The type species is D. dongi, and it is the first named sauropod from the Yixian Formation, which is part of the well-known Jehol Group. The genus name refers to the region Dongbei and to Greek titan, "giant". The specific name honours the Chinese paleontologist Dong Zhiming.[1] Like other sauropods, Dongbeititan would have been a large quadrupedal herbivore.[2]

References

  1. Wang, X.; You, H.; Meng, Q.; Gao, C.; Chang, X.; Liu, J. (2007). "Dongbeititan dongi, the first sauropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Group of western Liaoning Province, China". Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition) 81 (6): 911–916. doi:10.1111/j.1755-6724.2007.tb01013.x.
  2. Upchurch, Paul; Barrett, Paul M.; Dodson, Peter. (2004). "Sauropoda". In Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka. (eds.). The Dinosauria (2nd ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 259–322. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.