Fossils of New Species of Titanosaurian Dinosaur Discovered in Tanzania

A team of international paleontologists has unearthed what may be the new species of titanosaurian that thrived in Tanzaia.

In a latest finding, paleontologists at the Ohio University presented to the world a new species of titanosaurian. This new species belongs to the group of large-bodied sauropods that existed during the last period of dinosaur-age in Tanzania. Many fossils of titanosaurian have been retrieved from all over the world, especially South America, and a few from Africa.

The newly-retrieved fossilized species dubbed Rukwatitan bisepultus was initially noticed embedded in a cliff wall located in the Rukwa Rift Basin in southwestern Tanzania. Further excavation produced the species' vertebrae, ribs, limbs and pelvic bones.

The researchers studied the unique features of the fossil in comparison to other sauropods using CT scans. 

"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," said lead author Eric Gorscak, a doctoral student in biological sciences at the Ohio University.

Rukwatitan bisepultus existed nearly 100 million years ago during the mid-Cretaceous period. These herbivorous dinosaurs are known for their unique characteristics that include massive body size, long necks, wide stance, an estimated 2 meters of forelimb weighing as much as several elephants.

According to co-author Patrick O'Connor, the newly-discovered bones show similarities with another titanosaurian.

"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," O'Connor said. "Only additional data on the faunas and paleo environments from around the continent will let us further test such hypotheses."

Till date, the researchers have unearthed just four fossils of titanosaurians in Africa as compared to 30 in South America.

The finding was documented in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.