Tengrisaurus (Lower Cretaceous, Russia) as earliest titanosaur + theropod tracks from Lower Cretaceous of Spain
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Ben Creisler
Nov 26, 2025, 12:05:32 AM (yesterday) Nov 26
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Ben Creisler
New papers:
Alexander O. Averianov, Alexander V. Sizov, Dmitry V. Grigoriev, Veniamin V. Kolchanov &
Pavel P. Skutschas (2025)
A sauropod Tengrisaurus starkovi from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia, Russia, and Asiatic origin of Titanosauria
Cretaceous Research 106271
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106271
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195667125001946
Titanosauria is the final and most diverse radiation of sauropod dinosaurs, which is predominantly distributed throughout the Late Cretaceous of Gondwana. Previous hypotheses have suggested that Gondwana might have served as the origin for Titanosauria. However, the presence of a significant number of titanosaurs with procoelous caudal vertebrae in the Early Cretaceous of Asia indicates that the titanosaurian bauplan may have been established on the northern continents as early as the earliest Cretaceous. In contrast, the titanosaurs with procoelous both anterior and middle caudal vertebrae appeared in South America only during the Albian. The most recent research has identified the Tengrisaurus starkovi Averianov et Skutschas, 2017 from the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian) Murtoi Formation at the Mogoito locality in Buryatia, Transbaikalia, Russia, as the earliest documented sauropod to display the titanosaurian bauplan, as evidenced by its procoelous anterior and middle caudal vertebrae. The present study reports on a recently discovered sauropod posterior cervical vertebra from the Mogoito locality, which is attributed to T. starkovi. A novel phylogenetic analysis, incorporating data from the cervical and caudal vertebrae, confirms the position of Tengrisaurus as a basal member of the titanosaurian clade Colossosauria. Consequently, the Valanginian Tengrisaurus is recognized as the earliest member of both Colossosauria and Titanosauria, which substantially supports a potential Asiatic origin of these clades.
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Pavel P. Skutschas (2025)
A sauropod Tengrisaurus starkovi from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia, Russia, and Asiatic origin of Titanosauria
Cretaceous Research 106271
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106271
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195667125001946
Titanosauria is the final and most diverse radiation of sauropod dinosaurs, which is predominantly distributed throughout the Late Cretaceous of Gondwana. Previous hypotheses have suggested that Gondwana might have served as the origin for Titanosauria. However, the presence of a significant number of titanosaurs with procoelous caudal vertebrae in the Early Cretaceous of Asia indicates that the titanosaurian bauplan may have been established on the northern continents as early as the earliest Cretaceous. In contrast, the titanosaurs with procoelous both anterior and middle caudal vertebrae appeared in South America only during the Albian. The most recent research has identified the Tengrisaurus starkovi Averianov et Skutschas, 2017 from the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian) Murtoi Formation at the Mogoito locality in Buryatia, Transbaikalia, Russia, as the earliest documented sauropod to display the titanosaurian bauplan, as evidenced by its procoelous anterior and middle caudal vertebrae. The present study reports on a recently discovered sauropod posterior cervical vertebra from the Mogoito locality, which is attributed to T. starkovi. A novel phylogenetic analysis, incorporating data from the cervical and caudal vertebrae, confirms the position of Tengrisaurus as a basal member of the titanosaurian clade Colossosauria. Consequently, the Valanginian Tengrisaurus is recognized as the earliest member of both Colossosauria and Titanosauria, which substantially supports a potential Asiatic origin of these clades.
===
Free pdf:
Matías Reolid & Javier Cardenal (2025)
Description and interpretation of theropod tracks from the Berriasian tidal flats of the South-Iberian Palaeomargin (Internal Prebetic, S Spain)
Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae 95(3): 179-188
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14241/asgp.2025.12
https://geojournals.pgi.gov.pl/asgp/article/view/34648
Free pdf:
https://geojournals.pgi.gov.pl/asgp/article/view/34648/25918
The study of the lower Berriasian (Lower Cretaceous) of the Sierra del Pozo (Internal Prebetic, Betic Cordillera) has made possible the discovery of three dinosaur tracks that correspond to the digitigrade footprints (28.7 to 26.1 cm long and 19.9 to 21.4 cm wide) of mesaxonic tridactyls. The tracks are located at the top of two shallowing-upwards sequences with desiccation-related mud cracks that correspond to supratidal facies. The trackmakers were medium-sized theropods, on the basis of the prints record, the claws, the elongated digits and the low interdigital angles. This is the only record at the South-Iberian Palaeomargin of theropod tracks, which are relatively scarce, compared to the Lower Cretaceous of other Iberian Palaeomargins.
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Matías Reolid & Javier Cardenal (2025)
Description and interpretation of theropod tracks from the Berriasian tidal flats of the South-Iberian Palaeomargin (Internal Prebetic, S Spain)
Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae 95(3): 179-188
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14241/asgp.2025.12
https://geojournals.pgi.gov.pl/asgp/article/view/34648
Free pdf:
https://geojournals.pgi.gov.pl/asgp/article/view/34648/25918
The study of the lower Berriasian (Lower Cretaceous) of the Sierra del Pozo (Internal Prebetic, Betic Cordillera) has made possible the discovery of three dinosaur tracks that correspond to the digitigrade footprints (28.7 to 26.1 cm long and 19.9 to 21.4 cm wide) of mesaxonic tridactyls. The tracks are located at the top of two shallowing-upwards sequences with desiccation-related mud cracks that correspond to supratidal facies. The trackmakers were medium-sized theropods, on the basis of the prints record, the claws, the elongated digits and the low interdigital angles. This is the only record at the South-Iberian Palaeomargin of theropod tracks, which are relatively scarce, compared to the Lower Cretaceous of other Iberian Palaeomargins.
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