Hamititan

Hamititan Temporal range: Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Skeletal diagram showing known material
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	Saurischia
Clade:	†Sauropodomorpha
Clade:	†Sauropoda
Clade:	†Macronaria
Clade:	†Titanosauria
Genus:	†Hamititan Wang et al., 2021
Type species
†Hamititan xinjiangensis Wang et al., 2021

Hamititan (meaning "Hami giant") is a genus of titanosaur sauropod dinosaur from the Shengjinkou Formation of Xinjiang, China. It contains one species, the type species, Hamititan xinjiangensis.^[1]

Discovery and naming

In 2006, a Konservat-Lagerstätte was reported from the Shengjinkou Formation in the Hami region of Xinjiang, China. This consisted of lake sediments allowing for exceptional preservation of fossils. The same year, Qiu Zhanxiang and Wang Banyue started official excavations.

Among the excavated fossils were seven caudal vertebrae with three chevrons preserved. These were established as the

The phylogenetic analysis of Wang et al. places Hamititan as a derived non-lithostrotian titanosaur in a polytomy with Epachthosaurus, Kaijutitan, Notocolossus, rinconsaurs, lognkosaurs, and lithostrotians. If it is scored with the contemporary Silutitan as a single taxon, the combined taxon will be sister to Euhelopus. A cladogram depicting the former hypothesis is shown below:^[1]

Paleobiology

Other animals from the holotype locality include the pterosaur Hamipterus and contemporary euhelopodid Silutitan, which is described in the same paper. Together, Hamititan, the aforementioned fauna and an unnamed theropod represent the known vertebrate taxa of the area.^[1]

References