Open Paleo

Karongasaurus

Gomani, 2005

Named after Karonga, the district in Malawi where fossils were found, combined with Greek 'sauros' (lizard); meaning 'Karonga lizard'

121.4–113.2 million years ago Aptian, Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous stages

Karongasaurus is a genus of titanosaur sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous. The type species, K. gittelmani, was described by Elizabeth Gomani in 2005.

Diagnosis

  1. Dentary strongly curved towards symphysis
  2. Rostral end of dentary not perpendicular to long axis
  3. Dorsal margin of buccal surface flares outward anteriorly
  4. Tooth row restricted to anterior portion of jaw
  5. Pencil-like teeth with wear facets oblique to labiolingual axis

Species

Karongasaurus gittelmani Gomani, 2005

Type species

Named in honor of Steve Gittelman for work as president of the Dinosaur Society.

Holotype
Mal-175 , Malawi Department of Antiquities Collection
Material
Dentary with conical replacement teeth.
Horizon
upper Dinosaur Beds Formation, Aptian, Early Cretaceous , 121.4–113.2 million years ago
Locality
CD-9, Mwakasyunguti, Karonga, Malawi Gomani (2005) gives the specimens as from "the same area of the Dinosaur Beds" near Mwakasyunguti, the holotype dentary from quarry CD-9; Winkler and colleagues (2000) place CD-9 in the upper member, above quarries "near the base of the upper member".

References

  1. Gomani, E. M. (2005). Sauropod dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous of Malawi. Palaeontologia Electronica 8(1): 1-37. gomani2005a
  2. Winkler, D. A.; Gomani, E. M.; Jacobs, L. L. (2000). Comparative taphonomy of an Early Cretaceous sauropod quarry, Malawi, Africa. Paleontological Society of Korea Special Publication 4: 99-114.

    Places quarry CD-9, the holotype's quarry, in the upper member of the Dinosaur Beds.

    winkler2000a
  3. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Sauropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the body length estimate.

    jones2026b