Turiasaurus
Encyclopedia
Turiasaurus is a genus
of sauropod dinosaur
from the Jurassic
-Cretaceous
boundary. It is believed to be the largest dinosaur ever found in Europe, and is among the largest dinosaurs known (exceeding 30 meters, or 98 ft in length), with a weight of 40 to 48 tons, the combined weight of six or seven adult male elephants.
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, Eastern Spain
). The type species, Turiasaurus riodevensis, was formally described by Royo-Torres, Cobos & Alcala, in 2006.
Phylogenetic analysis shows that Turiasaurus lies outside of the Neosauropoda
division and belongs to a new clade, Turiasauria
, together with Losillasaurus
and Galveosaurus
.
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 the 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...
-Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
boundary. It is believed to be the largest dinosaur ever found in Europe, and is among the largest dinosaurs known (exceeding 30 meters, or 98 ft in length), with a weight of 40 to 48 tons, the combined weight of six or seven adult male elephants.
Fragmentary remains of this animal, including an articulated left forelimb (holotype
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...
), skull fragments, teeth, vertebrae and ribs, have been found in terrestrial deposits of the Villar del Arzobispo Formation of Riodeva (Teruel Province, Eastern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
). The type species, Turiasaurus riodevensis, was formally described by Royo-Torres, Cobos & Alcala, in 2006.
Phylogenetic analysis shows that Turiasaurus lies outside of the Neosauropoda
Neosauropoda
Neosauropoda is a division-level clade of sauropods within Dinosauria, and consists of the group leading to Diplodocoidea and Macronaria. Haplocanthosaurus was a typical basal neosauropod from around 150 million years ago, in the Late Jurassic...
division and belongs to a new clade, Turiasauria
Turiasauria
Turiasauria is an unranked clade of sauropod dinosaurs, named for the genus Turiasaurus, a gigantic eusauropod from southwestern Europe. The clade also includes two other known members, Galveosaurus and Losillasaurus. All three taxa thus far referred to Turiasauria have come from the Villar del...
, together with Losillasaurus
Losillasaurus
Losillasaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary in the southeast of Spain. The type species of the turiasaurian Losillasaurus giganteus was discovered in the Los Serranos basin in Valencia and formally described by Casanovas, Santafé and Sanz in 2001...
and Galveosaurus
Galveosaurus
Galveosaurus is an extinct genus of dinosaur from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous periods. Its fossils were found in Galve, Spain, hence its generic name, "Galve lizard". The specific name honours the discoverer, José María Herrero....
.