Sauropoda

Sauropoda (), whose members are called sauropods (; from sauro- + -pod; ), is a clade of saurischian ('lizard-hipped') dinosaurs. Sauropods had very long necks, long tails, small heads (relative to the rest of their body), and four thick, pillar-like legs. They are notable for the enormous sizes attained by some species, and the group includes the largest animals to have ever lived on land. Well-known genera include Alamosaurus, Apatosaurus, Argentinosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Brontosaurus, Camarasaurus, Diplodocus, Dreadnoughtus, and Mamenchisaurus.

Barapasaurus ( ) is a genus of basal sauropod dinosaur from Jurassic rocks of India. The only species is B. tagorei. Barapasaurus comes from the lower part of the Kota Formation, which is of Early to Middle Jurassic in age. It is therefore one of the earliest known sauropods. Barapasaurus is known from approximately 300 bones from at least six individuals, so that the skeleton is almost completely known except for the anterior cervical vertebrae and the skull. This makes Barapasaurus one of the most completely known sauropods from the Early Jurassic.

Cetiosaurus ( meaning 'whale lizard', from the Greek ''''/ meaning 'sea monster' (later, 'whale') and ''''/ meaning 'lizard'), is a genus of herbivorous sauropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic Period, living about 171 to 165 million years ago during the Bajocian and Bathonian ages in what is now Britain and probably France.

Vulcanodon (meaning "volcano tooth") is an extinct genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic uppermost Forest Sandstone of southern Africa. The only known species is V. karibaensis. Discovered in 1969 in Zimbabwe, it was regarded as the earliest known sauropod for decades, and is still one of the most primitive genera that has been discovered.

Shunosaurus () is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) beds in Sichuan Province in China, from 161 to 157 Million years ago. The name derives from "Shu", an ancient name for the Sichuan province.

Ultrasaurus (meaning "ultra lizard") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur discovered by Haang Mook Kim in South Korea. However, the name was first used unofficially (as a nomen nudum) in 1979 by Jim Jensen to describe a set of giant dinosaur bones he discovered in the United States. Because Kim published the name for his specimen before Jensen could do so officially, George Olshevsky renamed the specimen as Ultrasauros. Jensen's giant sauropod was later found to be a chimera, and the type remains are now assigned to Supersaurus.

Jobaria is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Niger during the middle Jurassic Period, between 164 and 161 million years ago. Jobaria is currently the only known valid sauropod from the Tiouraren, where it was discovered in 1997.

Patagosaurus (meaning "Patagonia lizard") is an extinct genus of eusauropod dinosaur from the middle Toarcian of Patagonia, Argentina. It was first found in deposits of the Cañadón Asfalto Formation, which date to around 178 million years ago. Although originally twelve specimens were assigned to the taxon, at least one of them may belong to a different genus. Patagosaurus probably lived alongside genera such as Piatnitzkysaurus, Condorraptor, and Volkheimeria.

Atlasaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaurs from Middle Jurassic (Bathonian to Callovian stages) beds in North Africa.

Aepisaurus (; derived from the Greek: , '''' - 'lofty/high' and , '''' - 'lizard', i.e. "lofty lizard") was a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Albian-age Lower Cretaceous Grès vert of Département du Vaucluse, France, around 100.5 million years ago. It is an obscure genus from an unknown family, represented by a single humerus, now partly lost. Despite its lack of popularity, or perhaps because of it, it has been misspelled several ways in the scientific literature, with multiple dates given to the year of description as well.

Gigantosaurus () is a dubious genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation of England. The type species, Gigantosaurus megalonyx, was named and described by Harry Govier Seeley in 1869.

thumb|left|Archaeodontosaurus descouensi right mandible thumb|Hypothetical reconstruction|200x200px Archaeodontosaurus ("ancient-toothed lizard") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic. Its fossils were found in the Isalo III Formation of Madagascar. The type species, Archaeodontosaurus descouensi, was described in September 2005. The specific name honours the collector, Didier Descouens. It is a probable sauropod, with prosauropod-like teeth. It may be a basal member of Gravisauria.

Algoasaurus (; "Algoa Bay reptile") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Berriasian to early Valanginian ages) Upper Kirkwood Formation of Cape Province, South Africa, specifically near a town called Despatch. Only one species, A. bauri, is known.

The Early Jurassic sauropod dinosaurs Zizhongosaurus, Barapasaurus, Tazoudasaurus, and Vulcanodon may form a natural group of basal sauropods called the Vulcanodontidae. Basal vulcanodonts include some of the earliest known examples of sauropods. The family-level name Vulcanodontidae was erected by M.R. Cooper in 1984. In 1995 Hunt et al. published the opinion that the family is synonymous with the Barapasauridae. One of the key morphological features specific to the family is an unusually narrow sacrum.

Eusauropoda (meaning "true lizard foot") is a derived clade of sauropod dinosaurs. Eusauropods represent the node-based group that includes all descendant sauropods starting with the basal eusauropods of Shunosaurus, and possibly Barapasaurus, and Amygdalodon, but excluding Vulcanodon and Rhoetosaurus. The Eusauropoda was coined in 1995 by Paul Upchurch to create a monophyletic new taxonomic group that would include all sauropods, except for the vulcanodontids.

Zizhongosaurus (meaning "Zizhong lizard") is a genus of basal herbivorous sauropod dinosaur which lived in the Early Jurassic (Toarcian) Period of China. It was a large-bodied herbivore characterized by a long neck.

Cetiosauriscus ( ) is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived between 166 and 164 million years ago during the Callovian (Middle Jurassic Period) in what is now England. A herbivore, Cetiosauriscus had – by sauropod standards – a moderately long tail, and longer forelimbs, making them as long as its hindlimbs. It has been estimated as about long and between in weight.

Isanosaurus ("North-eastern Thailand lizard") is an extinct genus of sauropod dinosaur from Thailand. It was originally dated to approximately 219-199  million years ago during the Late Triassic (late Norian to Rhaetian stages), which would make it one of the oldest known sauropods. Its age was later considered uncertain, and may be Early Jurassic or even as young as Late Jurassic. The only species is Isanosaurus attavipachi. Though important for the understanding of sauropod origin and early evolution, Isanosaurus is poorly known. Exact relationships to other early sauropods remain unres

Lapparentosaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic. Its fossils were found in Madagascar (Isalo III Formation). It contains one species, Lapparentosaurus madagascariensis. The genus and species were named by José Bonaparte in 1986. The classification of Lapparentosaurus is controversial, as it exhibits a combination of characteristics of basal sauropods and titanosauriforms.

Bothriospondylus (from Ancient Greek βοθρίον (bothríon), meaning "trench", and σπόνδυλος (spóndulos), meaning "vertebra") is a dubious genus of possibly neosauropodan sauropod dinosaur. It lived during the Late Jurassic in England and the type (and only) species is B. suffossus.

Asiatosaurus (meaning "Asian lizard") is an extinct genus of herbivorous sauropod dinosaur which lived during the Early Cretaceous in Mongolia and China. The type species is known only from teeth, making it difficult to rely on information until more specimens are found to expand our knowledge, and another species is known, also based on scant remains; both are now classified as nomina dubia. This genus was classified within Brachiosauridae by Hou et al. in 1975, and considered a euhelopodid by Poropat et al. in 2022.

Cetiosauridae is a family of sauropod dinosaurs which was first proposed by Richard Lydekker in 1888. While traditionally a wastebasket taxon containing various unrelated species, some recent studies have found that it may represent a natural clade. Alongside Cetiosaurus from the Middle Jurassic of Britain, other taxa recently assigned to the family include Lapparentosaurus from the Middle Jurassic of Madagascar, and Patagosaurus from the late Early-Middle Jurassic of Patagonia, which share autapomorphies with Cetiosaurus that are not shared by other eusauropods. Additionally, at least one stu

Spinophorosaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Niger during the Middle Jurassic period. The first two specimens were excavated in the 2000s by German and Spanish teams under difficult conditions. The skeletons were brought to Europe and digitally replicated, making Spinophorosaurus the first sauropod to have its skeleton 3D printed, and were to be returned to Niger in the future. Together, the two specimens represented most of the skeleton of the genus, and one of the most completely known basal sauropods of its time and place. The first skeleton was made the holoty

Kotasaurus ( ; meaning "Kota Formation lizard") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic period (Sinemurian–Pliensbachian). The only known species is Kotasaurus yamanpalliensis. It was discovered in the Kota Formation of Telangana, India and shared its habitat with the related Barapasaurus. So far the remains of at least 12 individuals are known. The greater part of the skeleton is known, but the skull is missing, with the exception of two teeth. Like some sauropods, it had a tail club that would have been used for intraspecific combat or interspecific defense.

Rhoetosaurus (meaning "Rhoetus lizard", after a titan in Greek mythology) is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) Walloon Coal Measures of what is now eastern Australia. Rhoetosaurus is estimated to have been about long, weighing about . Subsequent authors have sometimes misspelled the name: Rhaetosaurus (de Lapparent & Laverat, 1955); Rheteosaurus (Yadagiri, Prasad & Satsangi, 1979).

Bellusaurus (meaning "Beautiful lizard", from Vulgar Latin bellus 'beautiful' (masculine form) and Ancient Greek sauros 'lizard') was a sauropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) known from juvenile specimens that would have measured about long. Its fossils were found in Shishugou Formation rocks in the northeastern Junggar Basin in China.

Antetonitrus is a genus of sauropodiform dinosaur found in the Early Jurassic Elliot Formation of South Africa. The only species is Antetonitrus ingenipes. Sometimes considered a basal sauropod, it is crucial for the understanding of the origin and early evolution of this group. It was a quadrupedal herbivore, like its later relatives, but shows primitive adaptations to use the forelimbs for grasping, instead of purely for weight support.

Ferganasaurus (meaning "Fergana Valley lizard") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in the Balabansai Formation of Kyrgyzstan, which dates to the Callovian stage of the Middle Jurassic. It was formally described in 2003 by Alifanov and Averianov as the type species Ferganasaurus verzilini. It is believed to be similar to Rhoetosaurus.

Ohmdenosaurus () is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Early Jurassic epoch in what is now Germany. The only specimen – a tibia (shinbone) and ankle – was discovered in rocks of the Posidonia Shale near the village of Ohmden. The specimen, which was originally identified as a plesiosaur, is exhibited in a local museum, the Urweltmuseum Hauff. In the 1970s, it caught the attention of German palaeontologist Rupert Wild, who recognised it as the remains of a sauropod. Wild named Ohmdenosaurus in a 1978 publication; the only known species is Ohmdenosaurus liasicus.

Gongxianosaurus is a genus of basal sauropod dinosaur from the early Jurassic Period (Sinemurian-Pliensbachian stage). The only species is Gongxianosaurus shibeiensis. Based on four fragmentary to complete specimens found in the Ziliujing Formation, China (Sichuan Province), it is one of the most completely known early sauropods. The skeleton is known in large part, missing both the hand and the majority of the skull. Gongxianosaurus was firstly named and described in a short note published in 1998; however, a comprehensive description has yet to be published. Gongxianosaurus shibeiensis was n

Amygdalodon (; "almond tooth" for its almond shaped teeth) is an extinct genus of basal sauropod from the Early Jurassic of Argentina. The type species is Amygdalodon patagonicus. Fossils of Amygdalodon have been found in the Toarcian-aged Cerro Carnerero Formation (about 180-172 million years ago). Very little is known about it, but it is one of the few Jurassic dinosaurs from South America found thus far.

Ingentia is a genus of early sauropodiform dinosaur, sometimes considered a basal sauropod, from the Late Triassic (late Norian-Rhaetian) of Argentina. The type specimen of Ingentia, PVSJ 1086, was discovered in the Quebrada del Barro Formation of northwestern Argentina. It was described in 2018 by Cecilia Apaldetti, Ricardo Nestor Martínez, Ignacio Alejandro Cerda, Diego Pol and Oscar Alcober who named the type and only species Ingentia prima, meaning "first huge one", as the taxon was one of the first very large sauropodomorphs to evolve, along with its close relative Lessemsaurus. A second

Australodocus (meaning "southern beam" from the Latin australis "southern" and the Greek dokos/δοκоς "beam") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic period, around 150 million years ago, in what is now Lindi Region, Tanzania. Though initially considered a diplodocid, recent analyses suggest it may instead be a titanosauriform.

Daanosaurus (meaning "Da'an lizard" after Da'an district in Zigong, Sichuan) was a genus of sauropod dinosaur which lived during the Late Jurassic (Oxfordian - Tithonian stage, about 163 - 145 mya). It lived in what is now China (Sichuan Province), and was similar to Bellusaurus. Daanosaurus is known only from a partial skeleton of a juvenile, and it has been debated whether the specimen may be a juvenile mamenchisaurid.

Qinlingosaurus is a genus of herbivorous sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Asia.

Neosodon (meaning "new tooth") was a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the late Tithonian-aged (Upper Jurassic) Sables et Gres a Trigonia gibbosa of Pas-de-Calais department, France. It has never been formally given a species name, but is often seen as N. praecursor, which actually comes from a different animal. Often in the past, it had been assigned to the wastebasket taxon Pelorosaurus, but restudy has suggested that it could be related to Turiasaurus, a roughly contemporaneous giant Spanish sauropod. It is only known from six teeth.

Chondrosteosaurus (meaning "cartilage and bone lizard") is a dubious genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Wessex Formation of England. Two species have been named: C. gigas and C. magnus, both of which are now considered invalid.

Tazoudasaurus is a genus of gravisaurian (probably vulcanodontid) sauropod dinosaurs from the late Early Jurassic (Toarcian). It was recovered in the "Toundoute Continental Series" (Azilal Formation), located in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco in North Africa. Along with Patagosaurus, Volkheimeria, Bagualia, and Perijasaurus (perhaps Barapasaurus and Kotasaurus as well), it represents one of the few sauropods named from this stage on Gondwana, as well as the only one from Africa.

Dystrophaeus is an extinct genus of sauropod dinosaur. Its type and only species is Dystrophaeus viaemalae, named by Edward Drinker Cope in 1877. Its fossils were found in the Tidwell Member of the Morrison Formation of Utah. Due to the fragmentary condition of its only known specimen, the affinities of Dystrophaeus are uncertain, although excavations carried out at the discovery site since 1989 have uncovered more of the original specimen and hold the potential for an improved understanding of the taxon.

Volkheimeria is an extinct genus of sauropod dinosaurs that lived in what is now Argentina during the Early Jurassic, about 179–178 million years ago. Its type and only species is Volkheimeria chubutensis.

Morinosaurus (meaning "Morini lizard", for an ancient people of northern France) is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from an unnamed formation of Kimmeridgian-aged (Late Jurassic) rocks from Boulogne-sur-Mer, Département du Pas-de-Calais, France. It is an obscure tooth genus sometimes referred to the Early Cretaceous English wastebasket taxon Pelorosaurus.

Lessemsauridae is a clade (family) of early sauropodiform dinosaurs that lived in the Triassic and Jurassic of Argentina, South Africa and possibly Lesotho. A phylogenetic analysis performed by Apaldetti and colleagues in 2018 recovered a new clade of sauropodiforms uniting Lessemsaurus, Antetonitrus, and Ingentia which they named Lessemsauridae. It is a node-based taxon, defined as all descendants of the most recent common ancestor of Lessemsaurus sauropoides and Antetonitrus ingenipes. Depending on the definition of Sauropoda, Lessemsauridae is either one of the most basal sauropod taxa, or

Chinshakiangosaurus (JIN-shah-jiahng-uh-SOR-us, meaning "Chinshakiang lizard") is a genus of basal sauropod dinosaur. The only species, Chinshakiangosaurus chunghoensis, is known from a fragmentary skeleton found in Early Jurassic rocks in China. It is one of the few basal sauropods with preserved skull bones and therefore important for the understanding of the early evolution of this group, and also shows that early sauropods may have possessed fleshy cheeks.

Nebulasaurus is an extinct genus of basal eusauropod dinosaur known from the early Middle Jurassic Zhanghe Formation (Aalenian or Bajocian stage) of Yunnan Province, China. It is known only from the holotype braincase LDRC-v.d.1. A phylogenetic analysis found Nebulasaurus to be a sister taxon to Spinophorosaurus from the Middle Jurassic of Africa. This discovery is significant paleontologically because it represents a clade of basal eusauropods previously unknown from Asia.

Protognathosaurus (meaning "early jaw lizard") is a genus of herbivorous sauropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic Lower Shaximiao Formation in Sichuan, present-day China.

Dinodocus (meaning "terrible beam") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur, named by Richard Owen in 1884, with the type species, Dinodocus mackesoni. The name is now usually considered a nomen dubium. The name was given to some fossil bones from the Lower Greensand Group (Lower Cretaceous) of Hythe, Kent, England, were formerly placed in the genus Pelorosaurus (Mantell, 1850), but a review by Upchurch et al. (2004) concluded that Dinodocus is a nomen dubium.

thumb|left|Chevron (anatomy)|Chevron of Sanpasaurus in anterior view (A), posterior view (B), and lateral view (C), with 5-cm black bar for scale.

Chebsaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur, specifically a eusauropod. It lived in present-day Algeria, in the Callovian aged Aïssa Formation. The type species, C. algeriensis, was named in 2005 by Mahammed et al. and is the most complete Algerian sauropod known. It was around long.

Bagualia (meaning "wild horse") is an extinct genus of eusauropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic (middle Toarcian) Cañadón Asfalto Formation in what is now the Chubut Province of Argentina. The type species, B. alba, was formally described in 2020. Bagualia represents the oldest known definitive eusauropod, and due to the completeness of its material, it represents one of the most important taxa for understanding the early evolution of the group.

Jinchuanloong (meaning "Jinchuan dragon") is an extinct genus of eusauropod sauropod dinosaurs from the Middle Jurassic Xinhe Formation of China. The genus contains a single species, Jinchuanloong niedu, known from a partial skeleton including a nearly complete skull.

Perijasaurus (meaning "Perija lizard") is a genus of basal eusauropod sauropod dinosaur from the "Girón-type redbeds" of the La Quinta Formation of Cesar Department, north-eastern Colombia. The type species is Perijasaurus lapaz. It lived during the Toarcian-Aalenian boundary around 175 million years ago (early to middle Jurassic period).

Marmarospondylus ("marble [reference to the Forest Marble Formation] vertebra") is a dubious genus of sauropod dinosaur from Middle Jurassic deposits in the English Midlands.

Dasosaurus is an extinct genus of somphospondylan sauropod dinosaur known from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian) Itapecuru Formation of Brazil. The genus contains a single species, Dasosaurus tocantinensis. Its morphology is similar to the titanosauriform Garumbatitan, known from the Early Cretaceous of Spain.

Huashanosaurus (meaning "Huashan Mountain lizard") is an extinct genus of eusauropod sauropod dinosaurs known from the Early–Middle Jurassic Wangmen Formation of China. The genus contains a single species, Huashanosaurus qini, known from a fragmentary partial skeleton.