Morinosaurus
Encyclopedia
Morinosaurus
Morinosaurus (meaning "Morini
lizard", for an ancient people of northern France
) was a genus
of sauropod dinosaur
from an unnamed formation
of Kimmeridgian
-age Upper Jurassic rocks from Boulogne-sur-Mer
, Départment du Pas-de-Calais, France
. It is an obscure tooth
genus sometimes referred to the Lower Cretaceous English
wastebasket taxon Pelorosaurus
.
paleontologist H. E. Sauvage
based this genus on a single worn tooth, apparently now lost, which he compared to those of Hypselosaurus
. Oddly, despite illustrations of the tooth, and the implications of comparing it to a titanosaur
with narrow-crowned teeth, it was included as a synonym of Pelorosaurus
in two major reviews. Pelorosaurus
, being a putative brachiosaurid, is assumed to have had broad-crowned teeth.
Age, however, was not an issue, because it was referred to the possible Pelorosaurus species P. manseli (="Ischyrosaurus
"), which was also from the Upper Jurassic (the question of whether "Ischyrosaurus" or any Jurassic species should be included in Pelorosaurus at all is another issue). The most recent review considers it to be a nomen dubium
without further comment.
Sauvage also suggested that a partial right humerus
belonged to the type
individual.
al herbivore
. Having titanosaur-like teeth may suggest more titanosaurian- or diplodocoid-like feeding habits, but this is speculative. The tooth crown was 50 mm (1.97 im) tall and had a cross-section of 16 by 12 mm (0.63 by 0.47 in).
Morinosaurus (meaning "Morini
Morini
The Morini were a Belgic tribe in the time of the Roman Empire. We know little about their language but one of their cities, Boulogne-sur-Mer was called Bononia by Zosimus and Bonen in the Middle Ages. Zosimus mentioned the Low Germanic character of the city...
lizard", for an ancient people of northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) was a genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of sauropod dinosaur
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 an unnamed formation
Geologic formation
A formation or geological formation is the fundamental unit of lithostratigraphy. A formation consists of a certain number of rock strata that have a comparable lithology, facies or other similar properties...
of Kimmeridgian
Kimmeridgian
In the geologic timescale, the Kimmeridgian is an age or stage in the Late or Upper Jurassic epoch or series. It spans the time between 155.7 ± 4 Ma and 150.8 ± 4 Ma . The Kimmeridgian follows the Oxfordian and precedes the Tithonian....
-age Upper Jurassic rocks from Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
, Départment du Pas-de-Calais, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is an obscure tooth
Tooth
Teeth are small, calcified, whitish structures found in the jaws of many vertebrates that are used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or for defensive purposes. The roots of teeth are embedded in the Mandible bone or the Maxillary bone and are...
genus sometimes referred to the Lower Cretaceous English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
wastebasket taxon Pelorosaurus
Pelorosaurus
Pelorosaurus was a huge plant-eating dinosaur. Pelorosaurus was one of the first sauropod dinosaurs ever discovered. Pelorosaurus lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 138-112 million years ago. Fossils referred to Pelorosaurus have been found in England and Portugal...
.
History and taxonomy
The FrenchFrench people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
paleontologist H. E. Sauvage
Henri Émile Sauvage
- Works :Articles in The Popular Science Monthly:* “Amphibious Fishes,” in Popular Science Monthly Volume 9, September 1876* “The Archer-Fishes,” in Popular Science Monthly Volume 12, January 1878* “The Matamata,” in Popular Science Monthly Volume 16, March 1880...
based this genus on a single worn tooth, apparently now lost, which he compared to those of Hypselosaurus
Hypselosaurus
Hypselosaurus was a long titanosaurid sauropod that lived in Europe during the Late Cretaceous Period .Hypselosaurus was scientifically described by geologist Pierre Émile Philippe Matheron in 1846 and formally named in...
. Oddly, despite illustrations of the tooth, and the implications of comparing it to a titanosaur
Titanosaur
Titanosaurs were a diverse group of sauropod dinosaurs, which included Saltasaurus and Isisaurus. It includes some of the heaviest creatures ever to walk the earth, such as Argentinosaurus and Paralititan — which some believe have weighed up to 100 tonnes...
with narrow-crowned teeth, it was included as a synonym of Pelorosaurus
Pelorosaurus
Pelorosaurus was a huge plant-eating dinosaur. Pelorosaurus was one of the first sauropod dinosaurs ever discovered. Pelorosaurus lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 138-112 million years ago. Fossils referred to Pelorosaurus have been found in England and Portugal...
in two major reviews. Pelorosaurus
Pelorosaurus
Pelorosaurus was a huge plant-eating dinosaur. Pelorosaurus was one of the first sauropod dinosaurs ever discovered. Pelorosaurus lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 138-112 million years ago. Fossils referred to Pelorosaurus have been found in England and Portugal...
, being a putative brachiosaurid, is assumed to have had broad-crowned teeth.
Age, however, was not an issue, because it was referred to the possible Pelorosaurus species P. manseli (="Ischyrosaurus
Ischyrosaurus
"Ischyrosaurus" was a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Kimmeridgian-age Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay of Dorset, Cambridgeshire, England...
"), which was also from the Upper Jurassic (the question of whether "Ischyrosaurus" or any Jurassic species should be included in Pelorosaurus at all is another issue). The most recent review considers it to be a nomen dubium
Nomen dubium
In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
without further comment.
Sauvage also suggested that a partial right humerus
Humerus
The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....
belonged to the type
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
individual.
Paleobiology
Morinosaurus would have been a large, quadrupedQuadruped
Quadrupedalism is a form of land animal locomotion using four limbs or legs. An animal or machine that usually moves in a quadrupedal manner is known as a quadruped, meaning "four feet"...
al herbivore
Herbivore
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...
. Having titanosaur-like teeth may suggest more titanosaurian- or diplodocoid-like feeding habits, but this is speculative. The tooth crown was 50 mm (1.97 im) tall and had a cross-section of 16 by 12 mm (0.63 by 0.47 in).