Scientific Illustration

rhamphotheca:

Barapasaurus

…a genus of sauropod dinosaur from Early Jurassic rocks of India. The specific name for its only species, B. tagorei, means ‘Tagore’s’, which honors Bengali poet, writer, painter, and musician Rabindranath Tagore. Barapasaurus reached a length of about 18 metres (59 ft), and weighed about 48 tonnes (53 short tons). Its height to the hip was approximately 5.5 metres (18 ft).

Barapasaurus is of interest because it one of the earliest known sauropod, dating from the early Jurassic period — more precisely the Toarcian age, about 189.6 to 176.5 million years ago. This is evident in the unspecialized nature of its form. Later sauropods like Brachiosaurus developed their own ecological niches and feeding strategies. However, Barapasaurus was something of an “all-purpose” dinosaur. For example, later sauropods developed hollow vertebrae, as a weight-saving measure. Barapasaurus vertebrae, on the other hand, were almost solid, with only the earliest hints of hollowing…

(read more: Wikipedia)     (illustration: Dmitry Bogdanov)