Sonorasaurus
Sonorasaurus Temporal range: Early-Late Cretaceous,
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Dinosauria |
Clade: | Saurischia |
Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
Clade: | †Sauropoda |
Clade: | †Macronaria |
Family: | †Brachiosauridae |
Genus: | †Sonorasaurus Ratkevich, 1998 |
Species: | †S. thompsoni
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Binomial name | |
†Sonorasaurus thompsoni Ratkevich, 1998
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Sonorasaurus is a
Discovery
Fossilized remains were discovered in November 1994 by geology student Richard Thompson in the
Both men now asked dinosaur expert
Sonorasaurus was finally formally described in 1998 by Ratkevich, who identified it as a brachiosaurid sauropod. Dating of the specimen found it to be the earliest known brachiosaurid to have lived in the 'middle'
Description
The holotype of Sonorasaurus, ASDM 500, is an incomplete skeleton consisting of various postcranial elements, many of which are fragmentary. A complete dorsal rib from the same horizon, ASDM 807, may also be referrable to S. thompsoni.[3] Sonorasaurus is estimated to have been about 15 meters (49 feet) long, 8 meters (26 feet) tall, and weighed 10 metric tons (11 short tons), which is about one third of the size of Brachiosaurus.[3][5]
Classification
Ratkevich initially identified Sonorasaurus as a brachiosaurid.[3] However phylogenetic studies in the following years failed to find a consensus, with some finding it to lie within Brachiosauridae[6] and others outside of it.[7] In no analysis was the recovered phylogenetic position of Sonorasaurus strongly supported until D'Emic et al. (2016), which found Sonorasaurus to fall confidently within the Brachiosauridae. However the authors noted that additional data was still required to firmly establish its lower-level affinities.[8]
Sonorasaurus in a cladogram of Brachiosauridae after Mannion et al. (2017).[9]
In Mannion et al. (2019) it is still described as a brachiosaurid.[10]
References
- ^ Thayer D.W. and Ratkevich R., 1995, "In progress dinosaur excavation in the mid-cretaceous Turney Ranch Formation, southeastern Arizona", Proceedings of the Fossils of Arizona Symposium. Bulletin No.3., Mesa Southwest Museum, Southwest Paleontological Society
- ^ David W. Thayer, Ronald P. Ratkevich & Stan E. Krzyzanowski, 1996, "A new Dinosaur for the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Tucson, Arizona", Rocks & Minerals, 71(1): 34-38
- ^ a b c d Ratkevich, R. (1998). "New Cretaceous brachiosaurid dinosaur, Sonorasaurus thompsoni gen. et sp. nov, from Arizona". Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science. 31 (1): 71–82.
- ^ "Sonorasaurus officially named Arizona's state dinosaur". 11 April 2018.
- OCLC 985402380.
- ^ Royo-Torres, R. (2009). "El saurópodo de Peñarroya de Tastavins". Instituto de Estudios Turolenses-Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis: Monografías Turolenses. 6: 1–548.
- hdl:2027.42/94293.
- S2CID 133054430.
- PMID 28480136.
- hdl:10044/1/64080.)
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External links
- "Sonorasaurus RATKEVICH, 1998". paleofile.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023.
- "Sauropoda: Macronaria". palaeos.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023.
- "Sonorasaurus". Discover. Archived from the original on October 19, 2003.
- "Analysis of the Sonorasaurus site (technical)". arizona.edu. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021.