Anatotitan Fossil range: Late Cretaceous
Anatotitan copei at the American Museum of Natural History, New York
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Superorder: Dinosauria Order: Ornithischia Family: Hadrosauridae Subfamily: Hadrosaurinae Tribe: Edmontosaurini Genus: Anatotitan Chapman & Brett-Surman, 1990
Species
A. copei (type) A. longiceps (Marsh, 1897) Olshevsky, 1991

Anatotitan (a-NAT-o-TIE-tan; "duck titan") is a genus of hadrosaurid ornithopod dinosaur from the very end of the Cretaceous Period, in what is now North America. It was a very large animal, nearly 40 feet (12 meters) in length, with an extremely long and low skull. Anatotitan exhibits one of the most striking examples of the "duckbill" snout common to hadrosaurs. Geography of the US in the late Cretaceous Late Cretaceous (also called the Upper Cretaceous) refers to the second half of the Cretaceous period, named after the famous white chalk cliffs of southern England, which date from this time. ... Image File history File links Amnh_fg08. ... The American Museum of Natural History is a landmark of Manhattans Upper West Side in New York, USA, at 79th Street and Central Park West. ... NY redirects here. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... Animalia redirects here. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Clades Subclass Anapsida Subclass Diapsida Infraclass Lepidosauromorpha Infraclass Archosauromorpha Sauropsids are a diverse group of mostly egg-laying vertebrate animals. ... Orders & Suborders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Thyreophora Ornithopoda Marginocephalia Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago. ... Suborders Thyreophora Cerapoda    Ornithopoda    Marginocephalia Ornithischia is an order of beaked, herbivorous dinosaurs. ... Genera Lambeosaurinae     Corythosaurus    Lambeosaurus    Parasaurolophus Hadrosaurinae    Anasazisaurus     Anatotitan     Edmontosaurus     Hadrosaurus    Maiasaura    Prosaurolophus    Saurolophus    Shantungosaurus Hadrosaurids or duck-billed dinosaurs are members of the family Hadrosauridae, and include ornithopods such as Edmontosaurus and Parasaurolophus. ... Genera See text. ... Subfamilies Hadrosaurinae Cope, 1869 Lambeosaurinae Parks, 1923 Hadrosaurids or duck-billed dinosaurs are members of the family Hadrosauridae, and include ornithopods such as Edmontosaurus and Parasaurolophus. ... In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity. ... In zoological nomenclature, a type is a specimen or a taxon. ... Othniel Charles Marsh (October 29, 1831 - March 18, 1899) was one of the pre-eminent paleontologists of the 19th century, who discovered and named many fossils found in the American West. ... For other uses of the word, please see Genus (disambiguation). ... Genera Lambeosaurinae    Corythosaurus    Hypacrosaurus    Lambeosaurus    Parasaurolophus Hadrosaurinae    Anasazisaurus    Anatotitan    Edmontosaurus    Hadrosaurus    Maiasaura    Prosaurolophus    Saurolophus    Shantungosaurus Hadrosaurids or duck-billed dinosaurs are members of the family Hadrosauridae, and include ornithopods such as Edmontosaurus and Parasaurolophus. ... Clades ?Heterodontosauridae Hypsilophodontia Iguanodontia    Hadrosauridae Ornithopods (or-nith-oh-PODS) are a group of ornithischian dinosaurs who started out as small, cursorial grazers, and grew in size and numbers until they became one of the most successful Cretaceous herbivores in the world, and totally dominated the North American landscape. ... Orders & Suborders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Thyreophora Ornithopoda Marginocephalia Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago. ... The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i. ... A geologic period is a subdivision of geologic time that divides Eras into smaller timeframes. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... It has been suggested that temporal fenestra be merged into this article or section. ...

Remains

This dinosaur is known from at least five specimens discovered in the U.S. states of South Dakota and Montana. Several of these specimens are extremely complete skeletons with well-preserved skulls. Several unique features were used to separate Anatotitan from other hadrosaurs when it was first described, many of them relating to its enormous skull. The skull is longer and lower proportionally than any other known hadrosaur, with one skull measuring over 46 inches (1.18 meters) long. The "duckbill" portion of the muzzle is also wider than in any other hadrosaur, almost as wide as the skull itself. Inside the mouth, there is a large diastema, or toothless section, which is also larger than in any other hadrosaur. For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,163 sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Official language(s) English Capital Helena Largest city Billings Area  Ranked 4th  - Total 147,165 sq mi (381,156 km²)  - Width 255 miles (410 km)  - Length 630 miles (1,015 km)  - % water 1  - Latitude 44°26N to 49°N  - Longitude 104°2W to 116°2W Population  Ranked...

Remains of Anatotitan have been preserved in the Hell Creek and Lance Formations, which are dated to the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, representing the last three million years before the extinction of the dinosaurs (68 to 65 million years ago). The Hell Creek Formation is the division of Upper Cretaceous rocks in North America. ... The Lance Formation is a division of Late Cretaceous rocks in the western United States. ... The Maastrichtian is the last age of the Cretaceous period, and therefore of the Mesozoic era. ... Geography of the US in the late Cretaceous Late Cretaceous (also called the Upper Cretaceous) refers to the second half of the Cretaceous period, named after the famous white chalk cliffs of southern England, which date from this time. ... The Cretaceous-Tertiary (KT) extinction event, also known as the KT boundary (from German: Kreide-Tertiär-Grenzschicht), was a period of massive extinction of species, about 65. ... Mega-annum, usually abbreviated as Ma, is a unit of time equal to one million years. ...

Taxonomic history

Like many dinosaurs, Anatotitan has a long and somewhat confusing taxonomic history. The holotype, or original specimen, was a complete skull and skeleton found in 1882 by famous American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope. Cope had previously discovered other specimens and placed them in the genus Diclonius, which was synonymized with Trachodon in 1902. Two of these extremely complete specimens were famously mounted side-by-side in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City under the name Trachodon mirabilis. Look up taxonomy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A holotype is one of several possible types. ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... A paleontologist carefully chips rock from a column of dinosaur vertebrae. ... Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840–April 12, 1897) was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist. ... Diclonius is the term for the fictional mutant, human-evolved species introduced in the Japanese anime and manga Elfen Lied. ... In scientific classification, synonymy is the existence of multiple systematic names to label the same organism. ... This article needs cleanup. ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The American Museum of Natural History is a landmark of Manhattans Upper West Side in New York, USA, at 79th Street and Central Park West. ... Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ...

Meanwhile, another hadrosaur had been discovered in the western United States, which Othniel Charles Marsh named Claosaurus annectens in 1892. However, in 1942, paleontologists Richard Swann Lull and Nelda Wright recognized that this species was very different from the type species of Claosaurus and needed to have its own name. They created the new genus Anatosaurus ("duck lizard") and made Marsh's species the type species, calling it Anatosaurus annectens. Also, Lull and Wright recognized that the species Trachodon mirabilis was originally based on just a tooth and that the three skeletons referred to it in 1902 did not necessarily belong to the same species. A new species was created for them, which was called Anatosaurus copei, named after Edward Drinker Cope, who originally described the specimens. Othniel Charles Marsh (1831-1899) Othniel Charles Marsh (October 29, 1831 - March 18, 1899) was one of the pre-eminent paleontologists of the 19th century, who discovered and named many fossils found in the American West. ... Claosaurus (meaning broken lizard) was a primitive hadrosaurid, or duck-billed, dinosaur. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Richard Swann Lull was an American paleontologist from the early 20th century, who is largely remembered now for championing a Pre-Neo-Darwinian Synthesis view of evolution, whereby mutation(s) could unlock mysterious genetic drives that, over time, would lead populations to increasingly extreme phenotypes (and perhaps, ultimately, to extinction). ... Type specimens When a new species is discovered, more important than creating a new and unique name for the species is developing a reasonably detailed description. ... Anatosaurus (ah-NAT-o-sawr-us) meaning duck lizard, because of its wide, duck-like bill (Latin anato = duck + Greek sauros = lizard) is a historical hadrosaurid dinosaur genus. ...

Most modern paleontologists now include Anatosaurus annectens in the genus Edmontosaurus, as the species Edmontosaurus annectens. However, in 1990, paleontologists Ralph Chapman and Michael Brett-Surman argued that Anatosaurus copei was different enough from Edmontosaurus that it should be in a separate genus. Because the type species of Anatosaurus had already been synonymized with Edmontosaurus, a new generic name was needed. They created the name Anatotitan, from the Latin anas ("duck") and the Greek Titan, which was a race of mythological divine giants. This name refers both to the animal's size and to its wide "duckbill" snout. Species Edmontosaurus (ed-MON-toh-sawr-us) meaning Edmontons lizard (Greek sauros = lizard) was a hadrosaurid dinosaur genus from the Maastrichtian, the last stage of the Cretaceous period, 71-65 million years ago. ... 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A paleontologist carefully chips rock from a column of dinosaur vertebrae. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... In Greek mythology, the Titans (Greek Τιτάν, plural Τιτάνες) were a race of powerful deities that ruled during the legendary Golden Age. ... The bust of Zeus found at Otricoli (Sala Rotonda, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican) Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and their own cult and ritual practices. ...

The name Anatotitan was originally published in the Ph.D. thesis of Brett-Surman, but theses do not count as official publications according to ICZN regulations, so the official first publication of the name was in a separate 1990 paper authored by Chapman and Brett-Surman. Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. ... The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a set of rules in zoology that have one fundamental aim: to provide the maximum universality and continuity in classifying all animals according to taxonomic judgment. ... 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Today, debate continues as to whether Anatotitan copei should be in its own genus or whether it should be a species of Edmontosaurus. Some scientists believe that the Anatotitan specimens are in fact individuals of Edmontosaurus annectens whose skulls have been crushed during preservation and appear to be much longer and lower than they actually were (Horner et al., 2004).

Whether or not Anatotitan and Edmontosaurus are separate genera, they are very closely related and are both members of the subfamily Hadrosaurinae within the family Hadrosauridae. Shantungosaurus is another gigantic hadrosaur from China which may also be related to these North American dinosaurs. Genera See text. ... Binomial name Shantungosaurus giganteus Hu, 1973 Species Discovered in 1964, Shantungosaurus represents the largest hadrosaurid known to date. ...

Anatotitan in popular culture

Anatotitan as seen in Walking with Dinosaurs

• Anatotitan appeared in the last episode of Walking with Dinosaurs. It was shown as the last duck-billed dinosaur species and as prey for Tyrannosaurus.
• Anatotitan also featured in When Dinosaurs Roamed America as a peaceful species of herbivore.
• The movie features a Anatotitan skeleton in Night at the Museum.

Image File history File links Anatotitan. ... Image File history File links Anatotitan. ... Walking with Dinosaurs is a 1999 six-part television series produced by the BBC, narrated by Kenneth Branagh. ... Walking with Dinosaurs is a 1999 six-part television series produced by the BBC, narrated by Kenneth Branagh. ... Binomial name Tyrannosaurus rex Osborn, 1905 Synonyms Manospondylus gigas Dynamosaurus imperiosus Dinotyrannus megagracilis Nanotyrannus lancensis? Tyrannosaurus (IPA pronunciation or ; from the Greek τυραννόσαυρος, meaning tyrant lizard) is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur. ... When Dinosaurs Roamed America is a two-hour American nature documentary first aired on Discovery Channel in 2001. ... Night at the Museum is a 2006 American comedy film. ...

External links

• Post on the Dinosaur Mailing List, detailing skepticism on the synonymy of Edmontosaurus and Anatotitan.

References

• Chapman, R.E. & Brett-Surman, M.K. 1990. Morphometric observations on hadrosaurid ornithopods. In: Carpenter, K. & Currie, P.J. (Eds.). Dinosaur Systematics: Approaches and Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp. 163-178.
• Horner, J.R., Weishampel, D.B., & Forster, C.A. 2004. Hadrosauridae. In: Weishampel, D.B., Dodson, P., & Osmolska, H. (Eds.). The Dinosauria (2nd Edition). Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 438-463.