Paleontologists from Ohio University have uncovered a new species of titanosaurian dinosaur in Tanzania, a member of the large-bodied sauropods which lived during the middle of the Cretaceous Period.
The scientists found the species, which has been named Rukwatitan bisepultus, embedded in a cliff wall in the Rukwa Rift Basin in the southwest of the country, according to a study published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
By using excavators and coal miners, the team found vertebrae, limbs, pelvic bones, and ribs.
Titanosaurian fossils have been discovered around the globe, especially in South America, but few had been discovered from the continent of Africa.
CT scans of the fossils, combined with detailed comparisons with other sauropods, showed unqiue features that suggested an animal that was different from previous discoveries, including those from other parts of Africa.
"Using both traditional and new computational approaches, we were able to place the new species within the family tree of sauropod dinosaurs and determine both its uniqueness as a species and to delineate others species with which it is most closely related," lead author Eric Gorscak, a doctoral student in biological sciences at Ohio University said in a statement, according to a press release issued by the university.
Rukwatitan bisepultus lived approximately 100 million years ago, during the final period of the dinosaur age, according to the study. Titanosaurian sauropods were herbivorous dinosaurs, despite their large seize.
Rukwatitan is estimated to have weighted as much as "several" elephants, according to the study.
Co-author Patrick O'Connor, a professor of anatomy in the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, said there is a good chance the environment of the Rukwa Rift Basin led to a distinct species.
"There may have been certain environmental features, such as deserts, large waterways and/or mountain ranges, that would have limited the movement of animals and promoted the evolution of regionally distinct faunas," he said, according to the release, adding that more research was needed.
Fossils for more than 30 titanosaurians have been discovered by researchers in South America, compared to just four in Africa.
"Much of what we know regarding titanosaurian evolutionary history stems from numerous discoveries in South America, a continent that underwent a steady separation from Africa during the first half of the Cretaceous Period," Gorscak said. "With the discovery of Rukwatitan and study of the material in nearby Malawi, we are beginning to fill a significant gap from a large part of the world."
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