Abstract
Turiasauria is a clade of basal sauropod dinosaurs hitherto only known from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) to the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian). A new find of a shed tooth crown from the Lower Jurassic (Pliensbachian), Halse Formation of Bornholm, Denmark, is spoon-like, asymmetrical, and heart-shaped, which identifies the tooth as turiasaurian, pushing the origin of the Turiasauria some 17 My back into the Lower Jurassic. This suggests a North Pangean/Laurasian origin of the turiasaurian clade, which then, during the Middle to Late Jurassic, dispersed through Europe, India, and Africa, with their latest representatives found in the Early Cretaceous of England and North America. Furthermore, this is the first record of a sauropod from the Pliensbachian in Europe.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | 12 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Diversity |
Volume | 16 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 23 Dec 2023 |
Keywords
- Biogeography
- earliest record
- Laurasia
- Lower Jurassic
- Sauropoda
- Turiasauria