Kotasaurus (/,koUt@’so:r@s/ KOH-t@-SAWR-@s; meaning “Kota Formation lizard”) is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic period (Sinemurian-Pliensbachian). Kotasaurus yamanpalliensis is the only species that is known. It was found in Telangana’s Kota Formation, India. It shared its habitat with the closely related Barapasaurus. At least 12 of its remains have been found so far. Although the majority of the skeleton has been identified, the skull, which is missing two teeth, is not. It was a large, quadrupedal herbivore, with a long neck and tail, just like all sauropods.

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Kotasaurus is one the most basal of all known sauropods. Although its body was typical of a sauropod, it has several basal (plesiomorphic), features that are similar to prosauropods. Kotasaurus, like all sauropods was an obligate quadripod, while prosauropods are primitively bipedal. With a body length of nine meters and a weight of approximately 2.5 tonnes, it is comparable to later sauropods. The femur was oval in cross-section, which indicates that the limbs were already columnar. Like later sauropods, the teeth were spoon-shaped. Basal features include the slightly twisted and short humerus as well as the retention on the femur of a smaller trochanter. The neural spines of these vertebrae are simple to build and their centers are large, as opposed to the Barapasaurus’s which have more hollowing of the sides, even though they do not show pneumatisation.

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Autapomorphies are new features that include the relatively slim limb bones and the low, elongated preacetabular processes (the forward-pointing procedure of the ilium).

Source: Wikipedia