Kotasaurus
Encyclopedia
Kotasaurus is the name given to a genus of dinosaur
from the Early Jurassic
period, about 208 million to 188 million years ago. It was an early sauropod, sharing some similarities with prosauropods. Its fossils were found in 1988, in India
, near a place called Yemanapalli
, in the state of Andhra Pradesh
.
It is the most primitive known sauropod, and is similar to prosauropods in some ways (the hip bones). This quadrupedal plant-eater was about 30 feet (9 m) long. It had a bulky body, a long tail and a long neck. It is known from a partial skeleton found in India (with no skull).
The type species, Kotasaurus yamanpalliensis, was described by P. Yadagiri in 1988.
The Geological Survey of India
restored the skeletal remains of this giant skeleton and displayed at Birla Science Museum, Hyderabad.
. However, no skull has yet been recovered and so its exact diet has not been determined. A few lone teeth are known but not sufficient to make judgments on diet.
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
from the Early Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
period, about 208 million to 188 million years ago. It was an early sauropod, sharing some similarities with prosauropods. Its fossils were found in 1988, in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, near a place called Yemanapalli
Yemanapalli
Yemanapalli is a village in Gangavaram mandal in East Godavari district in the state of Andhra pradesh in India....
, in the state of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
.
It is the most primitive known sauropod, and is similar to prosauropods in some ways (the hip bones). This quadrupedal plant-eater was about 30 feet (9 m) long. It had a bulky body, a long tail and a long neck. It is known from a partial skeleton found in India (with no skull).
The type species, Kotasaurus yamanpalliensis, was described by P. Yadagiri in 1988.
The Geological Survey of India
Geological Survey of India
Geological Survey of India , established in 1851 is a government organization in India which is an attached office to the Ministry of Mines of Union Government of India for conducting geological surveys and studies. It is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world and the second oldest...
restored the skeletal remains of this giant skeleton and displayed at Birla Science Museum, Hyderabad.
Environment
Like all sauropods, Kotasaurus was an herbivoreHerbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
. However, no skull has yet been recovered and so its exact diet has not been determined. A few lone teeth are known but not sufficient to make judgments on diet.