| Zby | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Holotype tooth. | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Sauropoda |
| Clade: | †Turiasauria |
| Genus: | †Zby Mateus, Mannion & Upchurch,2014 |
| Type species | |
| †Zby atlanticus Mateus, Mannion & Upchurch, 2014 | |
Zby is anextinctgenus ofturiasauriansauropoddinosaur known from theLate Jurassic, particularly lateKimmeridgian stage of theLourinhã Formation, in central westPortugal. It contains a single species,Zby atlanticus.[1] It is named afterGeorges Zbyszewski [pt], who studied the geology and paleontology of Portugal.
Zby is known solely from itsholotype, a closely associated partialskeleton including a completetooth with root, a fragment of cervicalneural arch, an anteriorchevron, and an almost complete rightpectoral girdle and forelimb. It was discovered in 1996 in theLourinhã Formation,Portugal byOctávio Mateus.[1]
Zby was first described and named byOctávio Mateus, Philip D. Mannion and Paul Upchurch in2014 and thetype species isZby atlanticus, although it was initially thought to beTuriasaurus riodevensis.[2]
Zby is differentiated from other sauropods based on fourautapomorphies, including a prominent posteriorly projecting ridge on thehumerus at the level of the deltopectoral crest.Zby is suggested to be closely related toT. riodevensis fromSpain andPortugal, based on its tooth morphology, extreme anteroposterior compression of the proximal end of theradius, and strong beveling of the lateral half of the distal end of the radius, while some other forelimb traits distinguish these two genera. Nearly all other anatomical features suggest thatZby is a non-neosauropodeusauropod, confirming its position as aturiasaurian.[1]Zby is estimated to measure around 16 to 18 metres (52 to 59 ft) in length.
Zby was mostly aherbivorous dinosaur. It was unknown on what type ofvegetation it consumed on, it most likely ate the ones that herbivore dinosaurs ate, such asCycads,ferns, and low-lying vegetation.
