Borealosaurus


Borealosaurus is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of northern China. The type species is Borealosaurus wimani, which was named in 2004.

Description

The type and only species is Borealosaurus wimani, based on fragmentary remains from the Sunjiawan Formation of Liaoning. It has been estimated that this creature measured 12 metres in length, with a weight of 10 tonnes. The morphology of a mid-distal caudal vertebra was considered suggestive of a relationship with the Mongolian titanosaur Opisthocoelicaudia. However, in their overview of Cretaceous sauropod remains from Central Asia, Averianov and Sues considered Borealosaurus a non-lithostrotian titanosaur due to the lack of procoely in the middle caudal vertebrae.
It was described by Hailu, Qiang, Lamanna, Jinglu and Yinxiang, in 2004. It was named from Greek Βορεας and σαυρος, with its specific name being given in honor of Swedish paleontologist Carl Wiman, who named the first Chinese dinosaur.