Kingdom Animalia Clade Dinosauria Clade †Neosauropoda Phylum Chordata Order Saurischia | Class Reptilia Suborder †Sauropodomorpha Clade †Macronaria Rank Genus | |
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Similar Baotianmansaurus, Huabeisaurus, Bainoceratops, Bienosaurus, Gobiceratops | ||
Dongyangosaurus is a genus of Saltasaurid sauropod dinosaur from the early Late Cretaceous. The only species is Dongyangosaurus sinensis, from which only a single fragmentary skeleton is known, coming from the Zhejiang province of eastern China. Like other sauropods, Dongyangosaurus would have been a large quadrupedal herbivore.
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Description
The only skeleton (holotype DYM 04888) is stored in the Dongyang Museum (Dongyang, Zhejiang). It consists of 10 dorsal vertebrae, the sacrum, two caudal vertebrae as well as the complete pelvis. The skeleton was found articulated.
Dongyangosaurus was a midsized sauropod, measuring approximately 50 ft (15 m) in length and 15 ft (5 m) in height. The dorsal vertebrae were characterized by eye shaped pleurocoels and low bifurcated neural spines. The sacrum consisted of six fused sacral vertebrae, a feature unique to Somphospondylans. The caudal vertebrae were procoelous (concave anteriorly and convex posteriorly), forming ball-and-socket joints with neighboring vertebrae. The pubis was shorter than the ischium. The obturator foramen was narrow and extended.
Systematics
When this genus was first described, it was thought to be a Titanosauriform of uncertain placement. More recently, however, it was found to be a Saltasaurid closely related to the Mongolian sauropod Opisthocoelicaudia.
Discovery
The Upper Cretaceous of Zhejiang is known for its fossil dinosaur eggs. Skeletal remains are rarely found; the only described dinosaurs are the sauropod Jiangshanosaurus from the Jinhua Formation, the theropod Chilantaisaurus zhejiangensis, and the nodosaurid Zhejiangosaurus from the Chaochuan Formation. Dongyangosaurus comes from the Fangyan Formation. The age of this unit is not clear yet; however, it is considered early Upper Cretaceous by most researchers.
The specimen was found in the village of Baidian within the city of Dongyang, from which the generic name is derived. The species name, sinensis, is Greek for 'China'.