Titanosaurus


Titanosaurus is a dubious genus of sauropod dinosaurs, first described by Lydekker in 1877. It is known from the Maastrichtian Lameta Formation of India.

Discovery and naming

Titanosaurus was the first Indian dinosaur to be discovered. The holotype vertebrae was discovered in 1828, but it was not officially named until 1877.

Taxonomy

Titanosaurus is estimated to have grown up to 9–12 metres long and up to approximately 13 tons in weight. Wilson and Upchurch treated Titanosaurus as a nomen dubium because they noted that the original Titanosaurus specimens cannot be distinguished from those of related animals.

Species

As the type genus of Titanosauria, Titanosaurus at times became a wastebasket taxon for a number of titanosaurs, including those not just from India but also southern Europe, Laos, and South America. Only two among these, however, are currently considered species of Titanosaurus: T. indicus and T. blandfordi, both of which are considered nomina dubia.
Other species formerly referred to this genus include: