Editing Gigantosaurus

{{Short description|Extinct genus of dinosaurs}}
{{Distinguish|text=the theropod dinosaur [[Giganotosaurus]]}}
{{For|the TV series|Gigantosaurus (TV series)}}
{{Speciesbox
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|157|152|[[Kimmeridgian]]}}
| image = Gigantosaurus megalonyx syntype.png
| image_caption = Part of the [[syntype]] series of ''G. megalonyx'' (from left to right: CAMSM J.29477, CAMSM J.29478, CAMSM J.29479 and CAMSM J.29483)
| genus = Gigantosaurus
| parent_authority = [[Harry Seeley|Seeley]], 1869
| species = megalonyx
| authority = Seeley, 1869
}}

'''''Gigantosaurus''''' ({{etymology|grc|''{{wikt-lang|grc|γίγας}}'' ({{grc-transl|γίγας}})|giant||''{{wikt-lang|grc|σαυρος}}'' ({{grc-transl|σαυρος}})|lizard}}) is a dubious genus of Sauropod [[dinosaur]] from the [[Late Jurassic]] [[Kimmeridge Clay Formation]] of [[England]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dml.cmnh.org/1995Aug/msg00582.html |title=Re: A nomenclatural problem |first=Thomas R.|last=Holtz |date=1995-08-02 |access-date=2006-04-17 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225636/http://dml.cmnh.org/1995Aug/msg00582.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[type species]], ''Gigantosaurus megalonyx'', was named and described by [[Harry Govier Seeley]] in 1869.<ref>Seeley, H.G., (1869). Index to the Fossil Remains of Aves, Ornithosauria, and Reptilia from the Secondary System of Strata, arranged in the Woodwardian Museum of the University of Cambridge. III. ''Geological Magazine 7''</ref>  

== History ==
Its [[syntype]] series consists of several separately discovered sauropod bones found in [[Cambridgeshire]] in 1862, including two [[tail|caudal]] (tail) vertebrae (CAMSM J.29477 and CAMSM J.29478), the [[anatomical terms of location|distal]] end of a [[tibia]] (CAMSM J.29483), a cast of the right [[Radius (bone)|radius]] (CAMSM J.29482), a cast of [[Phalanx bone|phalanx]] (CAMSM J.29479) and an [[osteoderm]] (CAMSM J.29481).<ref>Martill, D.M., Naish, D. & Earland, S. (2006). Dinosaurs in marine strata: evidence from the British Jurassic, including a review of the allochthonous vertebrate assemblage from the marine Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Upper Jurassic) of Great Britain. In: Colectivo Arqueológico y Paleontológico Salense, (ed.) Actas de las III Jornadas Internacionales sobre Paleontología de Dinosaurios y su Entorno, 16–17 Sep. 2004. Salas de los Infantes, Burgos, 47–84.</ref>  

It was synonymised to ''[[Ornithopsis]] [[Duriatitan|humerocristatus]]'' by [[Richard Lydekker]] in 1888<ref name="RL88">Lydekker, R. (1888). ''Catalogue of the Fossil Reptilia and Amphibia in the British Museum (Natural History). Part I. Containing the Orders Ornithosauria, Crocodilia, Dinosauria, Squamata, Rhynchocephalia, and Proterosauria.'' British Museum (Natural History):London, 1-309.</ref> and to ''[[Pelorosaurus]]'' by [[Friedrich von Huene]] in 1909.<ref>F. v. Huene. (1909). Skizze zu einer Systematik und Stammesgeschichte der Dinosaurier [Sketch of the systematics and origins of the dinosaurs]. Centralblatt für Mineralogie, Geologie und Paläontologie 1909:12-22</ref> Today it is considered a ''[[nomen dubium]]''.{{fact|date=March 2025}}
 
In 1908, because of these references, [[Eberhard Fraas]] incorrectly assumed that the name was available for other species, so he used it, despite the other uses, for African material totally unrelated to the British finds.<ref>Fraas, E. (1908), "Ostafrikanische dinosaurier". ''Palaeontographica'', 55:105-1</ref> As a result, the name ''Gigantosaurus'' factored into the convoluted taxonomic history of the dinosaurs ''[[Barosaurus]]'', ''[[Tornieria]]'', and ''[[Janenschia]]''. A discussion of this can be found in the main ''[[Tornieria]]'' article.{{fact|date=March 2025}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Sauropodomorpha|B.}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q767702|from2=Q100864864}}

[[Category:Sauropoda]]
[[Category:Dinosaur genera]]
[[Category:Kimmeridgian dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Fossil taxa described in 1869]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Harry Seeley]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs of the United Kingdom]]


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