In Depth
Although named from only partial remains, Karongasaurus is truly a dinosaur genus of the information age since its description was the first to be published solely online. The genus name Karongasaurus is in reference to the Karonga district of Malawi combined with the Ancient Greek for ‘lizard’. The species name is in honour of Steve Gittelman.
The mandible that makes up the holotype (Mal-175) hints that the skull of Karongasaurus would have been quite long. There has been past speculation that this mandible may actually be from a juvenile of another genus of called Malawisaurus, another sauropod that has been named from the same formation as Karongasaurus. However Malawisaurus has a skull that is proportionately quite short, so unless it is proven that the mandible of Karongasaurus is from something like a juvenile Malawisaurus, which had yet to change into adult form, the two genera are likely to remain regarded as separate.
Further Reading
– Sauropod Dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous of Malawi, Africa, Elizabeth M Gomani - 2005.
