Igai

Say it like this: “ee-jee”

Igai semkhu

Igai ate plants and walked on four legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Egypt.

Quiz me on Igai

When: Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
Named in: 2022 · Gorscak, E.; Lamanna, M. C.; Schwarz, D.; Díaz, V. D.; Salem, B. S.; Sallam, H. M.; Wiechmann, M. F.
Hip height: 2.7 m · 9 ft
Length: 10–15 m · 33–49 ft
Weight: Not established
Found in: Egypt · Quseir
Food and walking: Herbivore · Four legs
Kind: long-neck giant · Sauropod
Family branch: Saltasauridae

The story in short

Igai was formally named in 2022 by E. Gorscak and colleagues. The name honors a person tied to the fossil or its study.

Fossils referred to Igai date to the Late Cretaceous (Campanian), roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago. Finds come from Egypt, including the Quseir Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.

Published estimates put Igai at a length near 10–15 m and hips about 2.7 m high.

On the family tree it sits in Saltasauridae, among the sauropod dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Abditosaurus

Abditosaurus kuehnei

Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago

Alamosaurus

Alamosaurus sanjuanensis

Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago

Qingxiusaurus

Qingxiusaurus youjiangensis

Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Maastrichtian) · roughly 100.5 to 66 million years ago