Titanosaurus

Titanosaurus (meaning 'titanic lizard' - named after the mythological 'Titans', deities of Ancient Greece) is a dubious genus of sauropod dinosaurs, first described by Lydekker in 1877. It is known from the Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) Lameta Formation of India. Similiar its relative, Saltasaurus, it had Dragon-like lumpy spikes on its back. It was the first Titanosaurid to be discovered. Although the genus itself as well as the species attributed to this genus either considered dubious or mismatched.

Discovery and naming[]

*T. blanfordi* holotype distal caudal vertebra (GSI 2195)

Titanosaurus, literally meaning 'titanic lizard', was named after the mythological Titans. Titanosaurus was the first Indian dinosaur to be named and properly described, having been recorded for the first time in 1877.

The type species, T. indicus, was named in 1877, and the second species, T. blanfordi, was named in 1879. Both species were named by Richard Lydekker. T. indicus and T. blanfordi are 70 million years old.

Description[]

Titanosaurus are estimated to have grown up to 9–12 metres (30–40 ft) long and about 13 tons in weight. Titanosaurus has traditionally been treated as a "wastebin taxon" for poorly preserved sauropod remains that demonstrate a distinctive vertebrae anatomy. The original Titanosaurus remains consist only of limb bones and a few vertebrae that have these characteristics. However, discoveries of more and better-preserved titanosaur species have shown that these once distinctive features are in fact widespread across many genera. The Sauropod interpreted to behave as similar to other large sauropods in appearance and lifestyle.

Classification[]

Wilson and Upchurch (2003) treated Titanosaurus as a nomen dubium ("dubious name") because they noted that the original Titanosaurus specimens cannot be distinguished from those of related animals.

Species[]

Numerous species have been historically assigned to Titanosaurus, from southern Europe to South America. Only two among these, however, are currently considered species of Titanosaurus: T. indicus and T. blandfordi, both of which are considered nomina dubia.

Other species formerly referred to this genus include:

"Titanosaurus" rahioliensis - Described based on teeth, this species is now considered an indeterminate neosauropod.
"Titanosaurus" colberti - This species was the most well-known species of Titanosaurus, but has been moved into its own genus, Isisaurus.
"Titanosaurus" australis - Known from relatively complete remains, but has been renamed Neuquensaurus.
"Titanosaurus" nanus - A small species found to be non diagnostic, and hence a nomen dubium.
"Titanosaurus" robustus - Now referred to Neuquensaurus.
"Titanosaurus" araukanicus - Now referred to Laplatasaurus.
"Titanosaurus" madagascariensis - Considered a nomen dubium distinct from T. indicus or T. blandfordi.
"Titanosaurus" falloti - This large species, native to Laos, has disputed affinities. It has been considered synonymous with Tangvayosaurus and Huabeisaurus, but the remains are to fragmentary to be sure.
"Titanosaurus" valdensis - Referred to a new genus, Iuticosaurus, but still considered a nomen dubium.
"Titanosaurus" lydekkeri - Also referred to Iuticosaurus, but its relation to I. valdensis is uncertain.
"Titanosaurus" dacus - Now moved to the dwarf Titanosaur genus, Magyarosaurus.

JPInstitute.com Description[]

Titanosaurus was among the last of the giant sauropods to walk the Earth. This was a giant plant-eater from the same family as Argentinosaurus. It was probably related to dinosaurs that traveled from South America when it was still connected to Africa. The entire family of these Cretaceous giants is named after this dinosaur, even though only a few bones of Titanosaurus have ever been found. Titanosaurus fossils has discovered in India named by Richard Lydekker the British Paleontologist in 1877.

Titanosaurus was a heavily built sauropod, as is typical for this family. Although some members of this family had scutes, it isn't known if any were present on this animal. A number of species exist for this genus and several genera are attributed to the Titanosauria.

Appearance in other media[]

Jurassic Park[]

In LEGO Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar, Titanosaurus is briefly mentioned in the episode Blown Away when Owen Grady mentions that it was the subject of Alan Grant's latest book.
Titanosaurus appeared in Jurassic World: Rebirth, depicted with speculative sails and a long whip-like tail.

Jurassic Park Wiki

Read more Titanosaurus on Jurassic Park Wiki

Links[]

http://web.archive.org/web/20040214172050fw_/http://www.jpinstitute.com/dinopedia/dinocards/dc_titan.html