Ninjatitan

Ninjatitan (meaning "Ninja giant") is a genus of titanosaur sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Berriasian-Valanginian)-aged Bajada Colorada Formation of Argentina. It is the oldest titanosaur known to date and the type species N. zapatai was named and described in 2021.^[1] Its generic name comes from a nickname of Argentine palaeontologist Sebastian Apesteguia, and the specific name comes from technician Rogelio Zapata.^[2] It is known from postcranial remains discovered in 2014.^[3][4]

Ninjatitan Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 140–134 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	Saurischia
Clade:	†Sauropodomorpha
Clade:	†Sauropoda
Clade:	†Macronaria
Clade:	†Titanosauria
Genus:	†Ninjatitan Gallina, Canale, & Carballido, 2021
Species:	†N. zapatai
Binomial name
†Ninjatitan zapatai Gallina, Canale, & Carballido, 2021

Classification

Ninjatitan does not preserve any unanimous features that classify it as a somphospondylan, but it does bear features that suggest it can be included within the clade Titanosauria, either as a basal taxon or possibly within the clade Colossosauria. The phylogenetic results of Gallina and colleagues are shown below, where Ninjatitan was suggested to have multiple possible positions.^[1]

Titanosauria	Andesaurus Ninjatitan Epachthosaurus Dreadnoughtus Lithostrotia Colossosauria Rinconsauria Bonitasaura Notocolossus Lognkosauria Mendozasaurus Ninjatitan Ninjatitan Quetecsaurus Futalognkosaurus Ninjatitan Drusilasaura Puertasaurus Ninjatitan Argentinosaurus Patagotitan