DINOVEMBER 4/13: Kotasaurus yamanpalliensis
This was simultaneously the animal that made me want to do this challenge and the biggest obstacle to me completing it. SHE WAS SO HARD TO POSE!! primarily because the tail is so long on sauropods and I usually just let it trail off page but here the tip of the tail was the whole point here (I'll get to that in a bit). I also got mixed up with Patagosaurus at points. I have really pulled an ADHD classic here, setting myself an easier challenge then leaving it all up to the last minute. Lol.
Kotasaurus is a basal sauropod from the nominal Kota formation in India which lived during the early Jurassic, 195-183Ma ago. Around 2.5 tonnes in weight and roughly 9m in length, it was fairly large compared to modern terrestrial animals but nothing to write home about when compared to the giants that later sauropods became. Since it's discovery in 1988, it has been primarily regarded as just another generic looking basal sauropod, ten-a-penny in the early and mid Jurassic. However, a new study by Kareem, Chakraborty & Wilson Mantilla, we now believe Kotasaurus had a club tail, like the more well known Shunosaurus, making it the third known club-tailed sauropod and the first from outside of China. Exciting!!! Basal sauropods are often overlooked, so revealing more of their true diversity could hopefully give them a little more appreciation.
