A basal sauropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic of Morocco

Continental strata of Early Jurassic age are seldom exposed, and little is known of the history of sauropod dinosaurs prior to the Middle Jurassic radiation of neosauropods. Well-preserved skeletons and skulls have not been recovered from strata older than the Middle Jurassic. Here we report, in the Early Jurassic of the Moroccan High Atlas, the discovery of the skeleton, including cranial material, of a new vulcanodontid sauropod. Tazoudasaurus naimi n.g., n.sp. represents with Vulcanodon the sister group of the eusauropods and the most complete basal sauropod material available to date. © 2004 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.