Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

The last of the dinosaur titans: a new sauropod from Madagascar

Nature volume 412, pages 530–534 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

The Titanosauria, the last surviving group of the giant sauropod dinosaurs, attained a near-global distribution by the close of the Cretaceous period (65 Myr ago). With the exception of a few new discoveries in Argentina1,2,3, most titanosaurs are known only from fragmentary postcranial skeletons and rare, isolated skull elements4,5,6,7,8,9. Here we describe the most complete titanosaur yet discovered. Rapetosaurus krausei gen. et sp. nov., from the Maevarano Formation of Madagascar, provides a view of titanosaur anatomy from head to tail. A total-evidence phylogenetic analysis supports a close relationship between brachiosaurids and titanosaurs (Titanosauriformes10,11,12,13). The inclusion of cranial data from Rapetosaurus also lays to rest questions concerning the phylogeny of the enigmatic Mongolian genera Nemegtosaurus and Quaesitosaurus14,15. In spite of their elongated, diplodocoid-like skulls, all three taxa are now firmly nested within Titanosauria.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Rapetosaurus krausei from the Upper Cretaceous Maevarano Formation of Madagascar.
Figure 2: Rapetosaurus krausei cranial elements.
Figure 3: Rapetosaurus krausei postcranial elements, all from referred juvenile skeleton (FMNH PR 2209).
Figure 4: Cladogram showing phylogenetic position of Rapetosaurus krausei based on strict consensus of the two most parsimonious trees (447 steps; consistency index = 0.5481; rentention index = 0.6189) generated by a branch and bound search in PAUP* (v.4.0b2a)31.

References

  1. Calvo, J. O., Coria, R. A. & Salgado, L. Uno de los más completos titanosáuridos (Dinosauria—Sauropoda) registrados en el mundo. Ameghiniana 34, 534 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Coria, R. A. & Salgado, L. Nuevos aportes a la anatomía craneana de los saurópodos titanosáuridos. Ameghiniana 36, 98 (1999).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Martinez, R. An articulated skull and neck of Sauropoda (Dinosauria: Saurischia) from the Upper Cretaceous of Central Patagonia, Argentina. J. Vert. Paleontol. 18, 61A (1998).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Berman, D. S. & Jain, S. L. The braincase of a small sauropod dinosaur (Reptilia: Saurischia) from the Upper Cretaceous Lameta Group, Central India, with a review of Lameta Group localities. Ann. Carnegie Mus. 51(21), 405–422 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Nowinski, A. Nemegtosaurus mongoliensis n. gen. n. sp. (Sauropoda) from the uppermost Cretaceous of Mongolia. Palaeontol. Pol. 25, 57–81 (1971).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Kurzanov, S. M. & Bannikov, A. F. A new sauropod from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. Paleontol. J. 2, 90–96 (1983).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Powell, J. E. in Los Dinosaurios y su entorno biótico. Actas 2° Curso de Paleontologia en Cuenca (eds Sanz, J. L. & Buscalioni, A. S.) 165–230 (Instituto ‘Juan de Valdes’, Cuenca, 1992).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Chatterjee, S. & Rudra, D. K. KT events in India: impact, rifting, volcanism and dinosaur extinction. Mem. Queensland Mus. 39, 489–532 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Gomani, E. Sauropod cranial elements from Malawi: implications for titanosaurid cranial morphology. J. Vert. Paleontol. 18, 46A (1998).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Salgado, L., Coria, R. A. & Calvo, J. O. Evolution of titanosaurid sauropods. I: Phylogenetic analysis based on the postcranial evidence. Ameghiniana 34, 3–32 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Salgado, L. & Calvo, J. O. Evolution of titanosaurid sauropods. II: The cranial evidence. Ameghiniana 34, 33–48 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Wilson, J. A. & Sereno, P. C. Early evolution and higher-level phylogeny of sauropod dinosaurs. J. Vert. Paleontol. (Suppl.) 18, 1–68 (1998).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Upchurch, P. The phylogenetic relationships of sauropod dinosaurs. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 124, 43–103 (1998).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Calvo, J. O., Salgado, L. & Coria, R. A. Neuva reconstruccion del cranieo de Nemegtosaurus mongoliensis, Nowinski, 1971 (Sauropoda). Acta Geol. Lilloana 13, 156–157 (1998).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Upchurch, P. The phylogenetic relationships of the Nemegtosauridae (Saurischia: Sauropoda). J. Vert. Paleontol. 19, 106–125 (1999).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Depéret, C. Note sur les Dinosauriens Sauropodes et Théropodes dans le Crétacé supérieur de Madagascar. Bull. Soc. Géol. Fr. 21, 176–194 (1896).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Ravoavy, F. Identification et mise en catalogue des vertebras fossils récoltes dans le Crétace supérieur continental de la region de Berivotra (Majunga) fouille 1987. Univ. d’Antananarivo Mém. Rech. II, 55–104 (1991).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Curry Rogers, K. & Forster, C. A. in VII Int. Symp. Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems 20–21 (Museo de Ciencas Naturales, Buenos Aires, 1999).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Curry Rogers, K. & Forster, C. A. New sauropods from Madagascar: a glimpse into titanosaur cranial morphology and evolution. J. Vert. Paleontol. 19, 41A (1999).

    Google Scholar 

  20. Rogers, R. R., Hartman, J. H. & Krause, D. W. Stratigraphic analysis of Upper Cretaceous rocks in the Mahajanga Basin, northwestern Madagascar: implications for ancient and modern faunas. J. Geol. 108, 275–301 (2000).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Huene, F. von Die Besonderheit der Titanosaurier. Centralblatt Mineral. Geol. Palaontol. B, 493–499 (1929).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Romer, A. S. Osteology of the Reptiles (Univ. Chicago Press, Chicago, 1956).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Gauthier, J. in The Origin of Birds and the Evolution of Flight (ed. Padian, K.) 1–55 (California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, 1986).

    Google Scholar 

  24. Upchurch, P. Evolutionary history of sauropod dinosaurs. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 349, 365–390 (1995).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. McIntosh, J. S. in The Dinosauria (eds Weishampel, D. B., Dodson, P. & Osmólska, H.) 345–401 (Univ. California Press, Berkeley, 1990).

    Google Scholar 

  26. Wilson, J. A. The Evolutionary History of the Sauropoda. Thesis, Univ. Chicago (1999).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Powell, J. E. Revisión de los Titanosáuridos de America del Sur. Thesis, Univ. Nacionale Tucumán (1986).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Krause, D. W. et al. The Late Cretaceous vertebrate fauna of Madagascar: implications for Gondwanan paleobiogeography. GSA Today 9(8), 1–7 (1999).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Coria, R. A. Ornithopod dinosaurs from the Neuqúen Group, Patagonia, Argentina: phylogeny and biostratigraphy. Natl Sci. Mus. Monogr. 15, 47–60 (1999).

    Google Scholar 

  30. Buckley, G. B., Brochu, C. B., Krause, D. W. & Pol, D. A pug-nosed crocodyliform from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. Nature 405, 941–944 (2000).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Swofford, D. L. PAUP*: Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony (* and Other Methods) Version 4.0b2a. (Sinauer, Sunderland, 1999).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

‘Misaotra betsika’ to the villagers of Berivotra, Madagascar. M. Hallet provided the illustrations and M. Stewart and T. Ready took the photographs. Thanks to R. Rogers, D. Krause, M. O'Leary, R. Coria and P. Upchurch for comments and discussion. Funding was provided by NSF, National Geographic Society, Jurassic Foundation, GSA and the Gabor Inke Graduate Student Fellowship.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Kristina Curry Rogers

    Present address: Department of Paleontology, Science Museum of Minnesota, 120 W. Kellogg Boulevard, St Paul, Minnesota, 55102, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomical Sciences, Health Sciences Center, State University of New York, Stony Brook, 11794, New York, USA

    Kristina Curry Rogers & Catherine A. Forster

  2. Geology Department, Macalester College, St Paul, Minnesota, 55105, USA

    Kristina Curry Rogers

Authors
  1. Kristina Curry Rogers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Catherine A. Forster
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kristina Curry Rogers.

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Curry Rogers, K., Forster, C. The last of the dinosaur titans: a new sauropod from Madagascar. Nature 412, 530–534 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35087566

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35087566

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing