Erketu

Er-ke-tu.
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John Stewart

Paleoecologist

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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Name

Erketu ‭(‬after the Mongolian deity‭)‬.

Phonetic

Er-ke-tu.

Named By

Daniel T.‭ ‬Ksepka‭ & ‬Mark A.‭ ‬Norell‭ ‬-‭ ‬2006.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Sauropodomorpha,‭ ‬Sauropoda,‭ ‬Titanosauriformes.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

E.‭ ‬ellisoni‭

Size

Uncertain but roughly estimated to have been about‭ ‬15‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Mongolia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Baynshire Formation.

Time Period

Cenomanian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial post cranial skeleton,‭ ‬composed mostly of neck vertebrae and partial hind limbs.

In Depth

       Erketu is a genus of sauropod that is noted for having a very long neck in proportion to the rest of the body.‭ ‬So extreme was this neck that it likely took up at least half of the total body length.‭ ‬Despite this,‭ ‬other genera such as Mamenchisaurus may have had an even greater neck length in proportion to the body.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Erketu ellisoni,‭ ‬a long-necked sauropod from Bor Guv�‭ (‬Dornogov Aimag,‭ ‬Mongolia‭) ‬-‭ ‬American Museum Novitates‭ ‬3508:‭ ‬1-16‭ ‬-‭ ‬Daniel T.‭ ‬Ksepka‭ & ‬Mark A.‭ ‬Norell‭ ‬-‭ ‬2006. – The Illusory Evidence for Asian Brachiosauridae: New Material of Erketu ellisoni and a Phylogenetic Reappraisal of Basal Titanosauriformes. – American Museum Novitates (3700). – D. T. Ksepka & M. A. Norell – 2010.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT