Malawisaurus

Malawisaurus (meaning "Malawi lizard") was a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur. It lived in what is now Africa, specifically Malawi, during the Barremian-Aptian ages of the Early Cretaceous. It is one of the few titanosaurs for which skull material has been found.
Discovery.
"Malawisaurus dixeyi" was originally described in 1928 by Sidney H. Haughton as a species of "Gigantosaurus" (an invalid name for the diplodocid currently known as "Tornieria"). Haughton considered it closely related to the species "G. robustus" (later the type species of "Janenschia"). It was found in the "Dinosaur Beds" of Malawi, which are usually considered to be of Barremian-Aptian age based on K–Ar dating, though they have also been suggested to be Late Cretaceous in age based on the vertebrate assemblage. In 1993 it was placed in the newly named genus "Malawisaurus" by Louis L. Jacobs and colleagues, based on newly collected material from the locality.
Description.
Relatively small by sauropod standards, "Malawisaurus" reached lengths of about , and weighed about . In 2020 it was given a smaller estimation of 11 meters (36 ft) and 2.8 tonnes (3.1 short tons). Like some other titanosaurs, ossicles have been found which are believed to represent dermal scutes that covered the skin.
The vertebrae from the middle part of its tail had elongated centra. "Malawisaurus" had vertebral lateral fossae that resembled shallow depressions. Fossae that similarly resemble shallow depressions are known from "Saltasaurus", "Alamosaurus", "Aeolosaurus", and "Gondwanatitan".
Classification.
The cladogram below follows Franca "et al." (2016), placing "Malawisaurus" as a basal lithostrotian.