EXHIBIT 108
Tazoudasaurus naimi
Tazoudasaurus was an early Moroccan sauropod with broad teeth and a spreading hand skeleton. Its fossils illuminate changes toward the later giant sauropod body plan. [2]
TWO WAYS TO PICTURE THE PAST
Compare the evidence with the familiar movie image. The illustrations are not to a shared scale.
Figure 7 from Wilson and colleagues (2011): representative Tazoudasaurus cervical, dorsal and anterior caudal vertebrae from several individuals, scaled for comparison. Colors identify anatomical fossae, not living skin colors. [1]
Tazoudasaurus vertebral fossae, Figure 7 · Jeffrey A. Wilson, Michael D. D’Emic, Takehito Ikejiri, Emile M. Moacdieh and John A. Whitlock. CC BY 2.5. Resized proportionally and converted to WebP; no anatomical edits. Same source license applies.
The photograph or figure shows the credited fossil material; displayed mounts and labels can include interpretation.
Original cinematic interpretation of Tazoudasaurus naimi. Colors, soft tissues, scenery and missing anatomy are reconstructed artistic choices; this is not a directly observed individual or behavior. Lighting, coloration and scenery are artistic choices. This image does not document a fossil locality or behavior.
Original artwork · artistic interpretation.
Scientific view: source-informed reconstruction, credited paleoart or specimen-based imagery. Movie-style view: Original artistic interpretation. Reconstructions involve uncertainty.
MEET THE ANIMAL
Tazoudasaurus was an Early Jurassic sauropod from Morocco. Its jaw preserves broad teeth with wear that suggests plant processing. An approximate nine-metre reconstruction introduces its size, but does not represent one complete measured animal or an adult maximum. Nearby fossil plants describe the local vegetation without proving exactly which kinds it ate. [D1]
The fossil collection includes more than 600 skeletal elements and at least ten individuals ranging from juveniles to adults. That variety helps researchers compare parts of the body and stages of growth. A large collection is not automatically one herd preserved in place, and assembling information from several animals does not produce a single complete fossil individual. [D3]
Geological work describes river and floodplain deposits with volcanic debris at Toundoute. It also cautions that the exact age within the later Early Jurassic is uncertain. The original narrower age assignment was not firmly established by fossils used to correlate rock layers. Tazoudasaurus therefore illustrates how skeletal evidence and geological evidence work together while answering different questions about the ancient animal and its setting. [D4]
PREHISTORIC ANIMAL DOSSIER
The animal, the evidence, and the questions still open.
A later reconstruction drew on at least ten juvenile-to-adult individuals and more than 600 skeletal elements. Only part of this collected material had been prepared. [D3]
Profile scope: Genus profile centered on Tazoudasaurus naimi from Toundoute. Adult and juvenile remains contribute to the reconstruction; their sizes and deposits are not an adult population range. [D2]
Source supported identifies a description documented by the cited source. Inferred marks a reconstruction or functional estimate. Debated marks competing interpretations. Not established means the sources reviewed for this dossier do not support a firm conclusion; it does not mean a behavior never occurred.
A size reference is an estimate, not a population range. Nesting evidence does not by itself establish courtship, mate choice, or lifelong pairing.
About 9 m; original reconstructed reference
The preliminary description supplies an approximate whole-body estimate from incomplete material. It does not provide a measured complete skeleton, an adult maximum or a species population range. [D1]
About 3.7 tonnes; historical model reference
Paul’s CPSGM row provides no individual inventory or maturity. The skeletal-volume and long-bone-scaled estimate cannot define an adult species range. [D5]
Plants; tooth-to-tooth processing inferred
Broad, spatulate tooth crowns and wear facets support plant processing. Plants preserved nearby describe the local flora, rather than proving which species the dinosaur ate. [D1] [D2]
Toundoute rivers and floodplains; exact age uncertain
Sediments record fluvial environments and volcanic debris. Geological work supports a late Early Jurassic, Pliensbachian–Toarcian interval and notes that the initial strictly Toarcian assignment lacks demonstrated biostratigraphic support. [D4]
Quadrupedal, with a spreading digitigrade hand
Articulated hand material has a spreading metacarpal arrangement and support through the fingers. Its hand should not be copied from the tightly bundled, column-like manus of later sauropods. [D2]
Broad teeth and complex vertebral ridges
Jaw material combines ancestral traits with sauropod tooth form. Cervical and dorsal vertebrae have elaborate supporting laminae and fossae; anterior tail vertebrae show a simpler pattern. [D1] [D6]
Not established here
Juvenile bones are known, but the reviewed sources do not establish assigned eggs, nesting sites, clutch size or parental care.
Not established here
Focused searches and reviewed skeletal studies do not establish displays, calls, mate choice or sex-specific anatomy.
Mixed-age grouping inferred
The upper bonebed contains at least six individuals, including juveniles and adults. Limited transport and rapid mudflow burial led the authors to propose gregariousness; persistent herd structure is not demonstrated. [D2]
Sources and inspection notes for the claims in this profile.
THE STORY IN THE FOSSILS
An articulated hand is particularly valuable here: it preserves a spreading arrangement that differs from many later sauropods. Reconstruction can therefore retain meaningful early anatomy instead of shrinking a familiar giant. [2]
The scientific plate compares different neck, back and tail vertebrae from several individuals. Its colored regions identify anatomical recesses; they do not represent a living dinosaur’s coloration. [6]
The dossier identifies the scope of each reference estimate. A mount, an individual fossil and a species-wide adult range are different measurements. Comparison metrics remain unavailable where adult scope has not been established. Unknown does not mean zero.
Sources support the stated claims and scopes. Refer to the evidence notes for uncertainty.
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