TITANOSAURIA
CLASSIFICATION
Animalia: Vertebrata: Tetrapoda: Sauropsida: Archosauromorpha:
Ornithodira: Dinosauria: Sauropodomorpha: Sauropoda: Macronaria
CLADOGRAM:
--Titanosauria sensu Wilson & Sereno, 1998 "Titanosaurus' taxon" == {Titanosaurus > Brachiosaurus, Euhelopus}
| INCERTAE SEDIS:
| indeterminate material (osteoderm) -- Late Cretaceous -- Brazil
| unnamed form (axial column, pelvis) -- Aptian -- Niger
| unnamed form (nearly complete postcranium) -- Cenomanian -- Niger
| unnamed Bauru form -- Brazil
| unnamed Bauru form -- Brazil
| unnamed Bauru form -- Brazil
| ?unnamed form (postcranium) -- Late Cretaceous -- Mongolia
| unnamed form (vertebrae, braincase, etc.) -- Utah
| cf. Aegyptosaurus -- Albian to early Cenomanian -- Africa
| cf. Alamosaurus (large) (12 cervical vertebrae) -- Maastrichtian -- Texas
| unnamed giant form (cervical vertebrae, femur, etc.) -- Albian to Cenomanian -- Argentina
| cf. Aegyptosaurus (IPGH 1912VIII65: caudal vertebra) -- Albian to early Cenomanian -- Egypt
| cf. Aegyptosaurus (IPGH 1912VIII66: vertebra) -- Albian to early Cenomanian -- Egypt
| cf. Aegyptosaurus (IPGH 1912VIII67: 2 cervical? vertebrae) -- Albian to early Cenomanian -- Egypt
| Aegyptosaurus
| ?Aepisaurus
| Algoasaurus
| ?Bruhathkayosaurus
| Campylodoniscus
| ?Clasmodosaurus
| ?Iuticosaurus
|--Chubutisaurus
|?-"Pleurocoelus" sp.
`--+ INCERTAE SEDIS:
| ?"Titanosaurus" falloti
| ?Huabeisauridae
| `--Huabeisaurus
|?-Macrurosaurus
|?-Tangvayosaurus
|?-Phuwiangosaurus
`--+ INCERTAE SEDIS:
| unnamed form (skull) -- Argentina
| Paralititan
|--Andesaurus
`--+ == {Epachthosaurus + Saltasaurus + Argyrosaurus + Lirainosaurus} =Titanosauria sensu Sanz, J. Powell, Le Loeuff, Martinez & Pereda-Suberbiola, 1999
| INCERTAE SEDIS:
| Ampelosaurus
| Hypselosaurus
| Jainosaurus
| Magyarosaurus
| Pellegrinisauridae [implied in Salgado, 1996]
| `--Pellegrinisaurus
|--Epachthosaurus
|--Janenschia
`--+ == {Saltasaurus + Argyrosaurus + Lirainosaurus} ?=Eutitanosauria Sanz, J. Powell, Le Loeuff, Martinez & Pereda-Suberbiola, 1999
| INCERTAE SEDIS:
| Argentinosaurus
| + INCERTAE SEDIS:
| | unnamed Peiropolis form -- Brazil
| `--Lirainosaurus
`--+?-Antarctosaurus
|--Laplatasaurus
|?-Malawisaurus
|?-Nemegtosauridae
| |--Nemegtosaurus
| |--Quaesitosaurus
| `--Rapetosaurus
`--+--Alamosaurus
|--Argyrosaurus
|--Titanosaurus
|--+--Aeolosaurus
| `?-Gondwanatitan
`--Saltasauridae == {Saltasaurus + Opisthocoelicaudia}
|?-Opisthocoelicaudinae == {Opisthocoelicaudia > Saltasaurus}
| `--Opisthocoelicaudia
`--Saltasaurinae == {Saltasaurus > Opisthocoelicaudia}
|--Neuquensaurus
`--Saltasaurini
|--Rocasaurus
`--Saltasaurus
ALTERNATE CLADOGRAM:
--Titanosauroidea sensu Sanz, J. Powell, Le Loeuff, Martinez & Pereda-Suberbiola, 1999
|--Opisthocoelicaudia
`--Titanosauria sensu Sanz, J. Powell, Le Loeuff, Martinez & Pereda-Suberbiola, 1999 == {Epachthosaurus + Saltasaurus + Argyrosaurus + Lirainosaurus}
|--Epachthosaurus
`--Eutitanosauria
|--+--Saltasaurus
| `--Argyrosaurus
`--+ INCERTAE SEDIS:
| unnamed Peiropolis form
`--Lirainosaurus
ALTERNATE CLADOGRAM:
see Macronaria
ESSAY
| These primarily Cretaceous animals represent the last group of sauropods before the great K/T extinction. Bony plates have been found with some specimens, indicating that they were armored, like ankylosaurs. T RUE TITANS:South American forms such as Argentinosaurus were some of the largest land animals of all time, probably larger than the gigantic brachiosaurids of the Jurassic. Argentinosaurus has been estimated at 80-100 metric tonnes. Others, like Andesaurus, Antarctosaurus, and Argyrosaurus, may have been of similar size. H UMBLE BEGINNINGS:Argentinian egg material has been attributed to titanosaurs. The eggs are typically 11-12cm in diameter, some up to 17cm. From relatively small eggs like these came creatures which would grow thousands of times larger! Eggs have also been attributed to Hypselosaurus, a European titanosaur. Recently, Argentinian titanosaur eggs containing fossilized embryos with skin impressions were discovered. The impressions show non-overlapping scales, like those seen in many other dinosaur skin impressions. |
