Shingopana
Shingopana | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Dinosauria |
Clade: | Saurischia |
Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
Clade: | †Sauropoda |
Clade: | †Macronaria |
Clade: | †Titanosauria |
Clade: | †Lithostrotia |
Clade: | †Aeolosaurini |
Genus: | †Shingopana Gorscak et al. 2017 |
Type species | |
†Shingopana songwensis Gorscak et al. 2017
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Shingopana (meaning "wide neck" in
Discovery and naming
Part of the holotype, TZ-07, was discovered in 2002 by scientists affiliated with the Rukwa Rift Basin Project, which was run by Patrick O'Connor and Nancy Stevens.[3] The rest of the skeleton was excavated during the following years. The species Shingopana songwensis was officially named in 2017.[3]
Description
Shingopana was a quadrupedal Aeolosaurin sauropod that would have reached up to 8 metres (26 ft) long when fully grown, smaller than the average sauropod.[3]
Skeleton
The holotype was damaged by insect bore holes shortly after the animal died.[3]
Shingopana is known from a partial jaw, represented by the angular bone. Shingopana is also known from four cervical vertebrae; with two of these vertebrae having preserved cervical ribs and another isolated cervical rib. Shingopana instead had remnants of a bulbous expansion on the incompletely preserved cervical vertebrae, which probably helped to strengthen its neck.[3]
Four ribs have been preserved with the holotype, but none are complete. The ribs had flanged edges, but their function is currently unknown.[3]
An almost complete humerus and a partial pubis were also present in the holotype.
Classification
Palaeoecology
The holotype was discovered in the
and an unnamed genus).