Kaijutitan

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Kaijutitan is an early titanosaur dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous, about 89 to 86 million years ago. It was found in the Sierra Barrosa Formation in Neuquén Province, Argentina, and its remains come from a rock layer near Cañadón Mistringa, about 9 km southwest of Rincón de los Sauces. The genus name means "Kaiju titan," inspired by giant movie monsters, and the only known species is Kaijutitan maui.

The discovery was made by researchers from the Museo Municipal Argentino Urquiza and the Museo Provincial de Ciencias Naturales “Prof. Dr. Juan Olsacher.” The holotype, MAU-Pv-CM-522, is a partial skeleton that preserves bones from many parts of the body and is kept at the Museo Municipal Argentino Urquiza.

Kaijutitan can be told apart from other titanosaurs by several distinctive features in its skull and neck bones, among others, which set it apart from its relatives.

In analyses of its relationships, Kaijutitan is placed as a basal (early) titanosaur within the larger Titanosauria group. In simplified family relationships, it sits with other early titanosaurs such as Andesaurus and Epachthosaurus.