Volgatitan is a fascinating dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period, which was around 140 million years ago. Its name means “Volga giant,” and it was discovered in the Ulyanovsk region of Russia.
The only known species of Volgatitan is called Volgatitan simbirskiensis. This dinosaur is unique because it is the oldest titanosaur, a group of large, long-necked dinosaurs, found so far in the northern hemisphere.
Researchers found only seven tail vertebrae, meaning that we do not yet know much about what its full body looked like. However, based on what they found, Volgatitan is estimated to have weighed about 17.3 metric tons, which is quite heavy—similar to the weight of several cars stacked together.
Volgatitan is important for understanding the evolution of dinosaurs. It is considered to be related to a group called Lognkosauria, which mostly comes from South America from a later time.
Scientists Alexander Averianov and Vladimir Efimov first identified Volgatitan in November 2018. They placed Volgatitan within a larger group called Lithostrotia, which includes several other sauropod dinosaurs.
In summary, Volgatitan was a colossal creature from a long time ago, helping us learn more about how titanosaur dinosaurs spread across different continents.