Sauropodomorph dinosaur genus from Early Jurassic South Africa and Botswana
Massospondylus
Temporal range: Early Jurassic, 200–183 Ma
PreꞒ
Ꞓ
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Reconstructed skeleton on display in the Royal Ontario Museum
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Clade:
Dinosauria
Clade:
Saurischia
Clade:
†Sauropodomorpha
Clade:
†Bagualosauria
Clade:
†Plateosauria
Clade:
†Massopoda
Family:
†Massospondylidae
Genus:
†Massospondylus Owen, 1854
Species
†M. carinatus Owen, 1854 (type)
†M. kaalae Barrett, 2009
Synonyms
List
?Aristosaurus Hoepen, 1920
?Dromicosaurus Hoepen, 1920
?Leptospondylus Owen, 1854
?Pachyspondylus Owen, 1854
Massospondylus (/ˌmæsoʊˈspɒndɪləs/mas-oh-SPON-di-ləs; from Greek, μάσσων (massōn, "longer") and σπόνδυλος (spondylos, "vertebra")) was a genus of sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Early Jurassic (Hettangian to Pliensbachian ages, ca. 200–183 million years ago). It was described by Sir Richard Owen in 1854 from remains discovered in South Africa, and is thus one of the first dinosaurs to have been named. Fossils have since been found at other locations in South Africa, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe. Material from Arizona's Kayenta Formation, India, and Argentina has been assigned to the genus at various times, but the Arizonan and Argentinian material are now assigned to other genera.
The type species is M. carinatus; seven other species have been named during the past 150 years, but only M. kaalae is still considered valid. Early sauropodomorph systematics have undergone numerous revisions during the last several years, and many scientists disagree where exactly Massospondylus lies on the dinosaur evolutionary tree. The family name Massospondylidae was once coined for the genus, but because knowledge of an early sauropod relationship is in a state of flux, it is unclear which other dinosaurs—if any—belong in a natural grouping of massospondylids; several 2007 papers support the family's validity.
Although Massospondylus was long depicted as quadrupedal, a 2007 study found it to be bipedal. It was probably a plant eater (herbivore), although it is speculated that the early sauropodomorphs may have been omnivorous. The genus was 4–6 metres (13–20 ft) long, and had a long neck and tail and a small head and slender body. On each of its forefeet, it bore a sharp thumb claw that was used in defense or feeding. Recent studies indicate that Massospondylus grew steadily throughout its lifespan, possessed air sacs similar to those of birds, and may have cared for its young.
three different genera: Pachyspondylus, Leptospondylus and Massospondylus. Massospondylus was separated from the other two genera on the basis of its...
all animals more closely related to Plateosaurus engelhardti than to Massospondylus carinatus. Galton and Upchurch, 2004 proposed the following definition:...
Cañón del Colorado Formation of San Juan, Argentina. It was similar to Massospondylus. Four partial skeletons with two partial skulls are known. The type...
Plateosauria as the last common ancestor of Plateosaurus engelhardti and Massospondylus carinatus, and its descendants. Peter Galton and Paul Upchurch in 2004...
more robust than specimens of Massospondylus. Despite the fact that Ngwevu could be distinguished from Massospondylus, there are several shared features...
this formation include the theropod Megapnosaurus, the sauropodomorph Massospondylus, as well as other heterodontosaurids like Heterodontosaurus and Lycorhinus...
The most common dinosaur species is of the sauropodomorph species Massospondylus carinatus. Other species include Blikanasaurus cromptoni, Aardonyx celestae...
November 2011, found Adeopapposaurus, Coloradisaurus, Glacialisaurus, Massospondylus, Leyesaurus and Lufengosaurus to be massospondylids. This result supports...
these time periods include Megapnosaurus, Dracovenator, Melanorosaurus, Massospondylus, Euskelosaurus, Heterodontosaurus, Abrictosaurus, and Lesothosaurus...
instead are more similar to juvenile Massospondylus, considering Ignavusaurus probably synonymous with Massospondylus. Meanwhile, a cladistic analysis presented...
species has since been reclassified again and is probably a juvenile of Massospondylus carinatus. G. sinensis was also referred here, but appears to be a distinct...
would have lived alongside an abundance of sauropodomorph taxa like Massospondylus, the ornithischian Lesothosaurus, and crocodylomorphs like Protosuchus...
Lufengosaurus and Yunnanosaurus were species of the South African genus Massospondylus 1981. However, a reanalysis in 2005 by Paul Barrett and colleagues,...
feathers to keep the eggs warm. An embryo of the basal sauropodomorph Massospondylus was found without teeth, indicating that some parental care was required...
another specimen intermixed with the bones of a prosauropod, likely Massospondylus. Later in 1968, Raath and D. F. Lovemore discovered additional Jurassic...
embryo inside. The oldest known dinosaur eggs and embryos are from Massospondylus, which lived during the Early Jurassic, about 190 million years ago...
the Melanorosauridae. The more common prosauropods Plateosaurus and Massospondylus were placed in the sister clade Plateosauria. However, research has...
have been an ancient floodplain. Fossils of the prosauropod dinosaur Massospondylus and Plateosaurus have been recovered from the Upper Elliot Formation...
partial leg bones were salvaged. Hortalotarsus would have been similar to Massospondylus, reaching around 3 metres (9.8 ft) long when fully grown. Hortalotarsus...
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