Biology:Ninjatitan

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Short description: Genus of titanosaurian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous period

Ninjatitan
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous,
140–134 Ma
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Sauropodomorpha
Clade: Sauropoda
Clade: Macronaria
Clade: Titanosauria
Genus: Ninjatitan
Gallina, Canale, & Carballido, 2021
Species:
N. zapatai
Binomial name
Ninjatitan zapatai
Gallina, Canale, & Carballido, 2021

Ninjatitan (meaning "Ninja giant") is a genus of titanosaur sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Berriasian-Valanginian)-aged Bajada Colorada Formation of Argentina . It is the oldest titanosaur known to date and the type species N. zapatai was named and described in 2021.[1] Its generic name comes from a nickname of Argentine palaeontologist Sebastian Apesteguia, and the specific name comes from technician Rogelio Zapata.[2] It is known from postcranial remains discovered in 2014.[3][4]

Classification

Ninjatitan does not preserve any unanimous features that classify it as a somphospondylan, but it does bear features that suggest it can be included within the clade Titanosauria, either as a basal taxon or possibly within the clade Colossosauria. The phylogenetic results of Gallina and colleagues are shown below, where Ninjatitan was suggested to have multiple possible positions.[1]

Titanosauria

Andesaurus

Ninjatitan

Epachthosaurus

Dreadnoughtus

Lithostrotia

Colossosauria

Rinconsauria

Bonitasaura

Notocolossus

Lognkosauria

Mendozasaurus

Ninjatitan

Ninjatitan

Quetecsaurus

Futalognkosaurus

Ninjatitan

Drusilasaura

Puertasaurus

Ninjatitan

Argentinosaurus

Patagotitan

References

Wikidata ☰ Q105720397 entry