Karongasaurus

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Karongasaurus is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous period, about 120 to 113 million years ago, found in what is now Malawi, Africa. The name means “Karonga lizard,” after the Karonga District where it was discovered. The only named species is Karongasaurus gittelmani, described by Elizabeth Gomani in 2005.

Discovery and material
The holotype, MAL-175, includes part of a lower jaw (mandible) and twenty isolated teeth. It was found in Malawi’s Dinosaur Beds between 1987 and 1992. Karongasaurus was the first dinosaur to be named in a publication that was published entirely online.

Description
The jaw of Karongasaurus is U-shaped when viewed from above. The teeth are slender and conical, more cylindrical than those of Malawisaurus, another Malawi titanosaur.

Classification
Karongasaurus is a titanosaur, a major group of large, long-necked sauropod dinosaurs within the larger group Sauropoda. It is placed within Titanosauria, a branch of sauropods known from many parts of the world.