Eusauropoda
Sign in to saveEusauropoda (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.
Article
8 sectionsContents
- Description
- Teeth and mouth
- Head and neck
- Feet and limbs
- Distribution
- Paleobiology
- Classification
- References
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.
Eusauropods are herbivorous, quadrupedal, and have long necks. They have been found in South America, Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, and Africa. The temporal range of Eusauropoda ranges from the early Jurassic to the Latest Cretaceous periods. The most primitive forms of eusauropods are not well-known because the Vulcanodon cranial material is not available, and the distribution of some of these shared derived traits that distinguish Eusauropoda is still completely unclear. However the discovery of Tazoudasaurus, which does preserve cranial material, did help refine some of the characteristics.