Mansourasaurus

Man-sor-a-sor-us.
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Nisha Yadav

Physicist

Nisha Yadav is a dedicated physicist whose work bridges the gap between physics and paleontology. With a deep interest in the processes that preserve ancient life, she explores how physical principles govern fossilization and the preservation of extinct species.

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Name

Mansourasaurus ‭(‬Mansoura lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Man-sor-a-sor-us.

Named By

Hesham M.‭ ‬Sallam,‭ ‬Eric Gorscak,‭ ‬Patrick M.‭ ‬O'Connor,‭ ‬Iman A.‭ ‬El-Dawoudi,‭ ‬Sanaa El-Sayed,‭ ‬Sara Saber,‭ ‬Mahmoud A.‭ ‬Kora,‭ ‬Joseph J.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Sertich,‭ ‬Erik R.‭ ‬Seiffert‭ & ‬Matthew C.‭ ‬Lamanna‭ ‬-‭ ‬2018.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Sauropodomorpha,‭ ‬Sauropoda,‭ ‬Titanosauria,‭ ‬Lithostrotia.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

M.‭ ‬shahinae‭

Size

Holotype individual estimated somewhere about‭ ‬8-10‭ ‬meters long.‭ ‬Full adult size unknown.

Known locations

Egypt‭ ‬-‭ ‬Quseir Formation.

Time Period

Campanian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial post cranial skeleton.‭ ‬Partial lower braincase.‭ ‬Remains are of a younger not fully grown individual.

In Depth

       Mansourasaurus is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur that lived in North Africa during the late Cretaceous.‭ ‬The discovery of Mansourasaurus was significant in itself because North African fossil beds often do not yield remains of larger dinosaurs like sauropods.‭ ‬This is partly because the harsh arid conditions of North Africa will often cause fossils to erode as soon as they are exposed from the rock that concealed them.

       Although only known from partial remains,‭ ‬Mansourasaurus has been identified as a titanosaur,‭ ‬the common type of sauropod dinosaur present in the late Cretaceous.‭ ‬More specifically,‭ ‬Mansourasaurus is thought to be a lithostrotian titanosaur.

Further Reading

– New dinosaur remains from the campanian quseir formation,‭ ‬western desert,‭ ‬Egypt‭ ‬-‭ I‬man El-Dawoudi,‭ ‬Patrick M O’Connor,‭ ‬Mahmoud Kora‭ & ‬Joseph J W Sertich‭ ‬-‭ ‬2016.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT