Silutitan

Silutitan sinensis

Silutitan ate plants and walked on four legs. It lived in the Early Cretaceous. Bones have been found in China.

Quiz me on Silutitan

When: Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) · roughly 137.1 to 132.6 million years ago
Named in: 2021 · Wang, X.; Bandeira, K. L. N.; Qiu, R.; Jiang, S.; Cheng, X.; Ma, Y.; Kellner, A. W. A.
Hip height: 3.9 m · 13 ft
Length: 20 m · 66 ft
Weight: 22 tonnes
Found in: China · Shengjinkou
Food and walking: Herbivore · Four legs
Kind: long-neck giant · Sauropod
Family branch: Euhelopodidae

The story in short

In 2021, X. Wang and colleagues published the name Silutitan. The name means “silk Road giant.”

It lived in the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian), roughly 137.1 to 132.6 million years ago. Finds come from China, including the Shengjinkou Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.

Published estimates put Silutitan at a length near 20 m, hips about 3.9 m high, and a body mass around 22 tonnes.

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

Close relatives

Erketu

Erketu ellisoni

Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Santonian) · roughly 100.5 to 83.6 million years ago

Euhelopus

Euhelopus zdanskyi

Early Cretaceous (Berriasian · Valanginian) · roughly 143.1 to 132.6 million years ago

Gobititan

Gobititan shenzhouensis

Early Cretaceous (Albian) · roughly 113.2 to 100.5 million years ago