- Atlasaurus
Taxobox|
name = "Atlasaurus"
fossil_range =Middle Jurassic
image_width=240px
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis =Sauropsid a
superordo =Dinosaur ia
ordo =Saurischia
subordo =Sauropodomorpha
infraordo =Sauropoda
"Atlasaurus" (AT-luh-SAWR-us - Atlas - the Titan who held up the heavens, according to
Greek mythology + Greek sauros meaning "lizard") was a moderately largegenus ofsauropod dinosaur fromMiddle Jurassic (Bathonian toCallovian stages) beds in North Africa.Discovery and species
"Atlasaurus" was discovered by Monbaron, Russell & Taquet in 1999. It was named after the location of discovery in the
High Atlas range of theAtlas Mountains ofMorocco (where the Titan, Atlas was said to hold up the heavens), and for the animal's gigantic size (about 15 m (50 ft) long). It is known from a nearly complete skeleton with skull found at Wawmda, in the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian-Callovian) Tiougguit Formation,Azilal Province,Tadla-Azilal region, Morocco.The
type species is "Atlasaurus imelakei" [ee-me-LAH-kay-ie] , which comes from Arabic Imelake, the name of a giant; for a large animal found in North Africa.Classification
A relatively primitive sauropod identified as a "cetiosaur" when first discovered in 1981, "Atlasaurus" appears to be closer to "
Brachiosaurus " than to any other known sauropod based on detailed similarities between the vertebral column and limbs. It differs from "Brachiosaurus", relative to the estimated length of the dorsal vertebral column (assuming 12 vertebrae, 3.04 m)), in having a proportionately larger skull, a shorter neck (with at least 13 cervical vertebrae, shorter and more uniform in length than in "Brachiosaurus"), a longer tail and more elongated limbs (humerus tofemur ratio: 0.99;ulna totibia ratio: 1.15). The lower jaw is about 69 cm long; the neck about 3.86 m long; humerus 1.95 m long; femur about 2 m long; total estimated length: around 15 m (50 ft); estimated weight: 22.5metric tons . The teeth are spoon-shaped and havedenticles .References
*http://www.elsevier.fr/html/news/monbaron/monbaron.html
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