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Pakisaurus, Late CretaceousVitakri Formation, Pakistan · named 2004
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Pakisaurus

"Pakistan lizard"

Lived
72 to 66 million years ago, Late Cretaceous
Diet
Herbivore
Group
Sauropods, Pakisauridae
Found in
Pakistan and India
Named by
Malkani 2004

Where its fossils were found

The evidence

Today

10 finds

70 million years ago

Map: C. R. Scotese, PALEOMAP

Habitat

The Vitakri Formation records winding freshwater rivers and muddy floodplains. Other dinosaurs reported from these rocks include Isisaurus, Khetranisaurus and Sulaimanisaurus.

Field notes

About Pakisaurus

What it was like

Pakisaurus was named as a titanosaur, a long-necked, four-legged plant eater. It is known from scattered bones, mostly from the tail.

Many scientists doubt it is a separate genus, because the bones are hard to compare with those of other titanosaurs.

Its world

It lived at the end of the Late Cretaceous, about 72 to 66 million years ago, in what is now Pakistan. Its bones come from the Vitakri Formation.

How it was found

Malkani named Pakisaurus in 2004.

Field gallery

More views of Pakisaurus

Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.

Pakisaurus in its habitat, photo 1

1 of 3

Lived alongside

Found in the same rock formations

A rock formation can hold fossils laid down millions of years apart, so not every animal here met Pakisaurus.

The evidence

The science behind Pakisaurus

Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.

From its own fossils

  • The original remains are fragmentary tail vertebrae.
  • Its describer later counted many more bones from two nearby sites as part of the type skeleton, including neck, back and tail vertebrae, shoulder bones and limb bones, all found scattered rather than joined.
  • Its neck vertebrae are long and broad, with ball-and-socket joints and air-filled bone, and a lower jaw with teeth from another site has been referred to it.

Borrowed from relatives

  • The long neck, small head and four-legged stance are restored by comparison with titanosaurs such as Isisaurus and Jainosaurus.

Still unknown

  • Experts disagree on whether Pakisaurus can be told apart from other titanosaurs: an older review found its first bones not distinctive, while its describer lists features of the tail and upper arm bones.
  • Which of the scattered bones belong to the same kind of animal. A piece proposed as part of its skull roof carries a number earlier given to a breastbone fragment.
  • Its complete skull shape and body proportions.

Discovery timeline

  1. 2004Named itMalkani
  2. 2020Full descriptionMalkani
  3. 2021RedescriptionMalkani
  4. 2021Full descriptionMalkani
  5. 2025New findMalkani

Key papers

The research behind what we know of Pakisaurus

Close relatives

Other members of Pakisauridae

Sources: Wikidata