Turiasaurus
{{Short description|Extinct genus of dinosaurs}}
{{italic title}}
{{speciesbox
| fossil_range = Kimmeridgian-Tithonian
~{{fossilrange|155|146}}
| image = Turiasaurus in zientzia astea.jpg
| image_caption = Mounted replica skeleton
| genus = Turiasaurus
| parent_authority = Royo Torres et al. 2006
| display_parents=2
| species = riodevensis
| authority = Royo Torres et al. 2006
}}
Turiasaurus (meaning "Turia lizard") is a genus of sauropod dinosaurs. It is known from a single fossil specimen representing the species Turiasaurus riodevensis, found in the Kimmeridgian Villar del Arzobispo Formation of Teruel, Spain.
Description
Turiasaurus is believed to be the largest dinosaur ever found in Europe, and is among the largest dinosaurs known. It was originally estimated at over {{convert|30|m|ft||}}, possibly around {{convert|36|-|39|m|ft}} in length and with a weight of {{cvt|40|-|48|t|ST}}.Royo-Torres, R., Cobos, A., and Alcalá, L. (2006). "A Giant European Dinosaur and a New Sauropod Clade." Science 314: 1925-1927. More recent estimates suggest a length of {{convert|21 - 30|m|ft}} in length, but a comparable weight of {{cvt|30|-|50|t|ST}}.Paul, G.S., 2010, The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, Princeton University Press.{{Cite book|last1=Molina-Pérez|first1=Rubén|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d-HFDwAAQBAJ|title=Dinosaur Facts and Figures: The Sauropods and Other Sauropodomorphs|last2=Larramendi|first2=Asier|date=2020-09-29|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-691-19069-3|language=en}} The length of its skull is 70 centimetres, which is not too large. According to the paleontologist Luis Alcalá, this is because a larger head might have caused Turiasaurus to break its neck.{{cite news|title=El Turiasaurus|newspaper=El Mundo|year=2012}}
Phylogenetic analysis shows that Turiasaurus lies outside of the Neosauropoda division and belongs to a new clade, Turiasauria, together with Losillasaurus and Galvesaurus.
History
Fragmentary remains of this animal, including an articulated left forelimb (holotype), skull fragments, teeth, vertebrae and ribs, have been found in terrestrial deposits of the Villar del Arzobispo Formation of Riodeva (Teruel Province, Spain). A forelimb from PortugalMateus, O. (2009). The sauropod Turiasaurus riodevensis in the Late Jurassic of Portugal. Journal of vertebrate Paleontology, 29. is now seen as Zby atlanticus.Octávio Mateus, Philip D. Mannion & Paul Upchurch (2014) Zby atlanticus, a new turiasaurian sauropod (Dinosauria, Eusauropoda) from the Late Jurassic of Portugal, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 34:3, 618-634, DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2013.822875 The type species, Turiasaurus riodevensis, was formally described by Royo-Torres, Cobos & Alcala, in 2006. In the early 2010s, excavations were made east of Madrid that uncovered the most complete fossil of such creatures in the whole world.{{cite web|title=Největší dinosaurus moc nemyslel, zato pořádně jedl|url=http://www.novinky.cz/veda-skoly/264222-nejvetsi-dinosaurus-moc-nemyslel-zato-poradne-jedl.html|work=excavations|publisher=seznam|access-date=21 April 2012}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6201251.stm BBC report on Turiasaurus]
- [http://dinosaurier-info.de/animals/dinosaurs/pages_t/turiasaurus.php Fact-Sheet with picture (in german)]
- [http://www.fundaciondinopolis.org/ Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel]
{{Sauropodomorpha|B.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q133837}}
Category:Kimmeridgian dinosaurs