The last of the dinosaur titans: a new sauropod from Madagascar

摘要: The Titanosauria, the last surviving group of giant sauropod dinosaurs, attained a near-global distribution by close Cretaceous period (65 Myr ago). With exception few new discoveries in Argentina1,2,3, most titanosaurs are known only from fragmentary postcranial skeletons and rare, isolated skull elements4,5,6,7,8,9. Here we describe complete titanosaur yet discovered. Rapetosaurus krausei gen. et sp. nov., Maevarano Formation Madagascar, provides view anatomy head to tail. A total-evidence phylogenetic analysis supports relationship between brachiosaurids and titanosaurs (Titanosauriformes10,11,12,13). inclusion cranial data also lays rest questions concerning phylogeny enigmatic Mongolian genera Nemegtosaurus Quaesitosaurus14,15. In spite their elongated, diplodocoid-like skulls, all three taxa now firmly nested within Titanosauria.