Pronunciation: KOHT-a-SOR-us
Meaning: Kota (formation) lizard
Author/s: Yadagiri (1988)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Andhra Pradesh, India
Discovery Chart Position: #335
Kotasaurus yamanpalliensis
Lashed together from twelve individuals discovered on the remnants of a Jurassic riverbank in Andhra Pradesh, Kotasaurus is one of the few sauropods from India and one of the most primitive known from anywhere, and has led palaeontologists a merry dance due to a weird combination of features.
Like the most ancient sauropods, Kotasaurus resembled the larger "prosauropods" (aka non-sauropod sauropodomorphs) in having simple, solid vertebrae lacking the hollows that later sauropods adopted for load-lightening. But like later sauropods, it was a lumbering oaf and an obligate quadruped, meaning it walked on all four legs because it was too darned big to walk on two. A skull has yet to be discovered, though it may be the owner of two measly teeth from the same general area, and to add a touch more spice, it sported features of both "prosauropods" and proper sauropods, all wrapped up in the same pelvis.
The latest research by Yadagiri recovered Kotasaurus as a basal sauropod, perhaps forming a clade with Vulcanodon, Shunosaurus, Omeisaurus, and maybe Barapasaurus from the same formation. But that was a decade ago, as of 2011, and no one has so much as poked it with a stick since.
Like the most ancient sauropods, Kotasaurus resembled the larger "prosauropods" (aka non-sauropod sauropodomorphs) in having simple, solid vertebrae lacking the hollows that later sauropods adopted for load-lightening. But like later sauropods, it was a lumbering oaf and an obligate quadruped, meaning it walked on all four legs because it was too darned big to walk on two. A skull has yet to be discovered, though it may be the owner of two measly teeth from the same general area, and to add a touch more spice, it sported features of both "prosauropods" and proper sauropods, all wrapped up in the same pelvis.
The latest research by Yadagiri recovered Kotasaurus as a basal sauropod, perhaps forming a clade with Vulcanodon, Shunosaurus, Omeisaurus, and maybe Barapasaurus from the same formation. But that was a decade ago, as of 2011, and no one has so much as poked it with a stick since.
Etymology
Kotasaurus is derived from "Kota" (the formation in which it was discovered) and the Greek "sauros" (lizard). Specifically, it was discovered at Yemanapalli Village in the state of Andhra Pradesh, and that is reflected in the species epithet, yamanpalliensis, which means "from Yemanapalli" in Latin.
Discovery
The remains of Kotasaurus were recovered from a bonebed containing the jumbled remains of 12 individuals (but no heads) in the Kota Formation at Yemanapalli Village, Pranhita-Godavari Valley, Andhra Pradesh, Central India, in 1988. Dr. Yadagiri decided that an ilium (hip bone) was the most distinct bit and this is the holotype (21/SR/PAL) that the entire genus is based upon.
Funnily enough, this area has also yielded Barapasaurus which is known from a jumbled bonebed of remains too.
