In Depth
In a nutshell Kotasaurus is one of the most primitive sauropod dinosaurs discovered. So primitive is Kotasaurus that the genus still possesses features that are known in sauropodomorph dinosaurs. This led to a lot of initial confusion over whether Kotasaurus was an advanced sauropodomorph, or a primitive sauropod, though today the interpretation of Kotasaurus as a very primitive sauropod holds greater favour amongst palaeontologists.
The first fossils of Kotasaurus were found in the Kota Formation, and hence the name of the genus which means ‘Kota lizard’. Another sauropod dinosaur named Barapasaurus is also known from this formation, though Kotasaurus is significantly more primitive in overall form than Barapasaurus.
Further Reading
- A new sauropod Kotasaurus yamanpalliensis from Lower Jurassic Kota Formation of India. - Records of the Geological Survey of India 11:102-127. - P. Yadagiri - 1988. - The osteology of Kotasaurus yamanpalliensis, a sauropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic Kota Formation of India. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 21 (2): 242–252. - P. Yadagiri - 2001.
