Otogosaurus
| Otogosaurus Temporal range: Middle Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Superorder: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Sauropoda |
| Genus: | Otogosaurus Zhao, 2004 |
| Species | |
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Otogosaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur. The only species in this genus is Otogosaurus sarulai. This species was first described by Chinese scientist Zhao (赵喜进) in 2004. The species is named after Otog, the location of its discovery, and the Sarula, who are the indigenous peoples who live in the area.
In Chinese, Otogosaurus is known as 鄂托克龙. Otogosaurus sarulai is known as 萨茹拉鄂托克龙.
Otogosaurus sarulai
Otogosaurus sarulai was discovered in Inner Mongolia, and speculated to be a plant eater. The length of the dinosaur is about 15 meters. The foot and right hip bone of the dinosaur was found, along with miscellaneous fossils. These were dated to about 80 million years of age, placing Otogosaurus in the Cretaceous Period. Based on the surviving bone structure, it is reasoned to have a strong waist and back, with the hind legs longer than the front legs. The place of habitation of Otogosaurus would have been around a body of water, such as a lake, with vegetation. Fossilized footprints were also discovered with the fossils nearby.