| Sonorasaurus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Suborder: | Sauropodomorpha |
| Family: | Brachiosauridae |
| Genus: | Sonorasaurus Ratkevich, 1998 |
| Type species | |
| †Sonorasaurus thompsoni Ratkevich, 1998 | |
Sonorasaurus(Sonora lizard) is a genus of sauropod, closely related to Brachiosaurus from the Early to Late Cretaceous (Albian to Cenomanian stages, around 112 to 93 million years ago). Its name comes from the Sonoran Desert where its fossils were first found.
The type species is S. thompsoni, described by Ratkevich in 1998.
Description[]
The holotype of Sonorasaurus, ASDM 500, is an incomplete skeleton consisting of various postcranial elements, many of which are fragmentary. A complete dorsal rib from the same horizon, ASDM 807, may also be referrable to S. thompsoni.[3] Sonorasaurus is estimated to have been about 15 meters long (49 ft) and 8.2 meters (27 feet) tall, about one third of the size of Brachiosaurus.
Classification[]
Ratkevich initially identified Sonorasaurus as a brachiosaurid. However phylogenetic studies in the following years failed to find a consensus, with some finding it to lie within Brachiosauridae and others outside of it. In no analysis was the recovered phylogenetic position of Sonorasaurus strongly supported until D'Emic et al. (2016), which found Sonorasaurus to fall confidently within the Brachiosauridae. However the authors noted that additional data was still required to firmly establish its lower-level affinities.
Media[]
- Sonorasaurus appears in the game Jurassic World Alive.
Gallery[]
