Science January 2019 PMID 30467179

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs.

Tomasz Sulej, Grzegorz Niedźwiedzki

Mentions

50
Peak: 24 in Jan 2019
across 4 sources since Jan 2019

Extended reach

228,635
potential audience

Total likes

4,367

Video views

103,782

Mentions per month

Jan 2019 – Oct 2024

Where it's discussed

  • X / Twitter30 posts
  • News16 articles
  • YouTube2 videos
  • Blogs2 articles

AI synopsis

What people are saying

Overall, the discussions demonstrate a strong interest and perceived impact, with participants referencing the creature's enormous size, its evolutionary implications, and related paleontological studies, using enthusiastic language like 'giant' and 'game changer' to underscore the significance.

AgreementModerate agreement

Most discussions recognize the significance of the discovery, emphasizing its importance in understanding prehistoric ecosystems and challenging previous assumptions.

InterestHigh interest

Posts show a high level of curiosity, with mentions of the creature's size, its implications for evolution, and references to related studies.

EngagementModerate engagement

Some discussions delve into detailed implications of the find, such as its relation to mammal evolution and prehistoric megafauna, showing thoughtful engagement.

ImpactHigh impact

The discussions suggest this finding could reshape understanding of terrestrial ecosystems in the Late Triassic, highlighting its high scientific value.

Abstract in brief

  • The text describes a giant early synapsid from the Late Triassic period found in Poland, measuring over 45 meters in length, 26 meters in height, and weighing around 9 tons, making it the largest land vertebrate from that time period and the last known dicynodont.
  • Its limb bones show evidence of rapid, continuous growth, similar to dinosaurs and mammals, which challenges previous ideas that large herbivorous animals of the Triassic were only dinosaurs.
  • The discovery demonstrates that non-dinosaurian mammal relatives (stem-group mammals) could grow to enormous sizes earlier than previously thought, reshaping our understanding of prehistoric terrestrial ecosystems.

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
Jens Svenning
@JCSvenning · X

Megaherbivores (herbivores >0 1000 kg) have been around for >200 million years - new study @sciencemagazine: "An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs" #megafauna #megaherbivore #reptiles #elephant #paleo https://t.co/kIeY4BYYtb

Jan 3, 2019 · 13 likes · 6 shares · 11,276 followers View post →
Rulon James Downard
@RJDownard · X

Got source links in for this morning's Evolution Hour https://t.co/Mf8ho7wwvF

Jun 3, 2024 · 1 like · 3,616 followers View post →
Science Furs
@Sci_Furs · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs "...Thus, megaherbivores in the Triassic were not only dinosaurs." https://t.co/UqmETLpnJK

Jan 4, 2019 · 1 like · 2,277 followers View post →
Pooetryman
@POOetryman · X

Synapsids were the mammal-like reptiles of the Permian & early Triassic. It's this lineage that ultimately gave rise to us. An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs https://t.co/Ht7AnhEsl6

Jan 3, 2019 · 1 like · 1 share · 1,983 followers View post →
Michal Gdula #StandWithUkraine
@michal_gdula · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs https://t.co/GzZTJ1t2PL

Jan 10, 2019 · 1 like · 1,050 followers View post →
Francis Villatoro
@emulenews · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs. A proto-mammalian giant. https://t.co/7GuE3abbrs https://t.co/IudrHSc9MO

Jan 4, 2019 · 1 share · 45,057 followers View post →

All mentions

Claude ✡️
@cascoclauda · X

@DevonianEP here you go! https://t.co/MZe6jva9eP https://t.co/YuOkrDPvNU

Oct 4, 2024 · 552 followers View post →
Rulon James Downard
@RJDownard · X

Got source links in for this morning's Evolution Hour https://t.co/Mf8ho7wwvF

Jun 3, 2024 · 1 like · 3,616 followers View post →
JPT_JTEC
@JtecJpt · X

Good to see @BenGThomas42 videos back again after a period of hard work finishing his https://t.co/IppVIIWE83. Palaeontology degree @portsmouthuni https://t.co/3varIZPqxZ

Jun 18, 2023 · 12 followers View post →
JPT_JTEC
@JtecJpt · X

https://t.co/3varIZPqxZ

Jun 18, 2023 · 12 followers View post →
Marcel
@Marcel4X · X

The Fossil That Travelled Through Time https://t.co/BPnOPlsEIo via @YouTube

Jun 18, 2023 · 470 followers View post →
DracoIlustra
@DracoIlustra · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs https://t.co/H28HJbRCNP #lisowicia #lisowiciabojani #pencildrawing #triassic #mesozoic #synapsida #therapsida #dicinodont #norian #rhaetian #platerosaurus #riojasaurus

May 5, 2022 · 1 share · 18 followers View post →
Kiersten Formoso, PhD(elulu)
@Formorphology · X

Ugh I forgot the date! Knew there was something off. Sulej et al., 2018 An Elephant-Sized Late Triassic Synapsid With Erect Limbs Science

Mar 31, 2020 · 12,431 followers View post →
Michal Gdula #StandWithUkraine
@michal_gdula · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs https://t.co/GzZTJ1t2PL

Jan 10, 2019 · 1 like · 1,050 followers View post →
Jerzy H. Czembor
@CzemborJerzyH · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs https://t.co/uSGNtdlHpl Here, we describe the dicynodont Lisowicia bojani, from the Late Triassic of Poland, a gigantic synapsid ...

Jan 7, 2019 · 1,713 followers View post →
Ken Gusler
@kgusler · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs - https://t.co/jxF7wgE01g

Jan 6, 2019 · 20,005 followers View post →
α∂нυнαм αнмє∂
@8dhu · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs https://t.co/AD3MASulEc https://t.co/yRH8tY1cX4

Jan 6, 2019 · 918 followers View post →
localhostscience
@localhostsci · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs

Jan 6, 2019 · 34 followers View post →
⚡️YOU SCIENCE ⚡️
@YouScienceLIVE · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs via /r/science https://t.co/U1q8JDZfsK

Jan 6, 2019 · 1,015 followers View post →
New Scientist Zone
@NewScientistZon · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs https://t.co/OLIT4nL4JO

Jan 6, 2019 · 177 followers View post →
Will Wompoto
@WompotoWill · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs https://t.co/CM4SUdRmYv

Jan 6, 2019 · 42 followers View post →
emilio lindosa lucas
@411emilio · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs https://t.co/vMFlZneZ7N

Jan 4, 2019 · 4,862 followers View post →
CPRW
@CPRWokingham · X

RT @JCSvenning: Megaherbivores (herbivores >0 1000 kg) have been around for >200 million years - new study @sciencemagazine: "An elephant-s…

Jan 4, 2019 · 6 shares · 18 followers View post →
Science Furs
@Sci_Furs · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs "...Thus, megaherbivores in the Triassic were not only dinosaurs." https://t.co/UqmETLpnJK

Jan 4, 2019 · 1 like · 2,277 followers View post →
BIOCHANGE
@BiochangeAU · X

RT @JCSvenning: Megaherbivores (herbivores >0 1000 kg) have been around for >200 million years - new study @sciencemagazine: "An elephant-s…

Jan 4, 2019 · 6 shares · 1,660 followers View post →
Ecoinf
@EcoinfAU · X

RT @JCSvenning: Megaherbivores (herbivores >0 1000 kg) have been around for >200 million years - new study @sciencemagazine: "An elephant-s…

Jan 4, 2019 · 6 shares · 1,165 followers View post →
Francis Villatoro
@emulenews · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs. A proto-mammalian giant. https://t.co/7GuE3abbrs https://t.co/IudrHSc9MO

Jan 4, 2019 · 1 share · 45,057 followers View post →
Carl-Gustaf Thulin
@CGThulin · X

RT @JCSvenning: Megaherbivores (herbivores >0 1000 kg) have been around for >200 million years - new study @sciencemagazine: "An elephant-s…

Jan 4, 2019 · 6 shares · 724 followers View post →
Lou Pine
@pinewoodsdojo · X

RT @POOetryman: Synapsids were the mammal-like reptiles of the Permian & early Triassic. It's this lineage that ultimately gave rise to us.…

Jan 3, 2019 · 1 share · 6,407 followers View post →
Pooetryman
@POOetryman · X

Synapsids were the mammal-like reptiles of the Permian & early Triassic. It's this lineage that ultimately gave rise to us. An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs https://t.co/Ht7AnhEsl6

Jan 3, 2019 · 1 like · 1 share · 1,983 followers View post →
Alberto Navarro
@navarro_alb · X

A proto-mammalian giant: An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs https://t.co/OEcoYwDuFM #Mammals #Evolution #OpenAccess https://t.co/alztWJDut8

Jan 3, 2019 · 1,791 followers View post →
Jonathan Lenoir
@EkoLogIt · X

RT @JCSvenning: Megaherbivores (herbivores >0 1000 kg) have been around for >200 million years - new study @sciencemagazine: "An elephant-s…

Jan 3, 2019 · 6 shares · 2,754 followers View post →
Oskar Liset Pryds Hansen
@OskarLPHansen · X

RT @JCSvenning: Megaherbivores (herbivores >0 1000 kg) have been around for >200 million years - new study @sciencemagazine: "An elephant-s…

Jan 3, 2019 · 6 shares · 192 followers View post →
Dinosaur watch
@Dinosaurwatch · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs - Science Magazine https://t.co/7ywOL5ZDNn

Jan 3, 2019 · 1,614 followers View post →
Jens Svenning
@JCSvenning · X

Megaherbivores (herbivores >0 1000 kg) have been around for >200 million years - new study @sciencemagazine: "An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs" #megafauna #megaherbivore #reptiles #elephant #paleo https://t.co/kIeY4BYYtb

Jan 3, 2019 · 13 likes · 6 shares · 11,276 followers View post →
PolitikStimme
@PolitikStimme · X

An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs #wissen https://t.co/HxwigYuEqw

Jan 3, 2019 · 736 followers View post →
Nyhet Arkiv - Sida 340 av 1669 - forskning.se
News

Niedźwiedzki, An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs, Science 10.1126/science.aal4853 (2018). Kontakt: Grzegorz Niedzwiedzki, e-post ...

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An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs
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10.1126/science.aal4853. Sulej et al., Science 363, 78–80 (2019). 4 January 2019. 3 of 3. Fig. 3. Phylogeny of kannemeyeriiform dicynodonts and its relationship ...

Dec 13, 2025 View →
An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs
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Cite as: T. Sulej, G. Niedźwiedzki, Science. 10.1126/science.aal4853 (2018). First release: 22 November 2018.

Dec 13, 2025 View →
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An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs | Science
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Science. 22 Nov 2018. Vol 363, Issue 6422. pp. 78-80. DOI: 10.1126/science.aal4853 · PREVIOUS ARTICLE. Metagenomic sequencing at the epicenter of the ...

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Elephant-Sized Proto-Mammal Discovered In Poland
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This paper goes by the name "An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs" and can be found with code DOI: 10.1126/science.aal4853 ...

Jan 4, 2019 View →
Gigantic mammal 'cousin' discovered | ScienceDaily
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An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs. Science, 2018; eaal4853 DOI: 10.1126/science.aal4853. Cite This Page: MLA; APA ...

Nov 24, 2018 View →
CONTENTS
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AAL4853. FEATURE. 880 CRACKING THE CAMBRIAN. New fossils and ... dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aav0294. ▷ LETTERS P. 886 & PERSPECTIVE P ...

Nov 23, 2018 View →
[Paleontology • 2019] Lisowicia bojani • An ... - Species New to Science
Blogs

Science. 363(6422); 78-80. DOI: 10.1126/science.aal4853. Scientists find remains of huge ancient herbivore phys.org/news/2018-11-scientists ...

Nov 23, 2018 View →
Ein elefantengleicher Urzeit-Riese - wissenschaft.de
News

... Science, doi: 10.1126/science.aal4853. © wissenschaft.de - Daniela Albat. Teilen: Facebook · Twitter · LinkedIn · Xing; Newsletter; Drucken.

Nov 23, 2018 View →
Jättedjur utmanar synen på dinosauriernas rike - Vetenskapsradion ...
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... Niedźwiedzki. "An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs". Science 22 november 2018. DOI: 10.1126/science.aal4853 ...

Nov 23, 2018 View →
Gigantic mammal 'cousin' discovered | EurekAlert!
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Science; Funder: Polish scientific funds, Swedish Research Council; DOI: 10.1126/science.aal4853. Keywords. /Life sciences/Organismal biology ...

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Nov 22, 2018 View →
Descubierto un gigantesco antepasado de los mamíferos
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... Science. Los dicinodontes se encontraban entre los sinápsidos ... science.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aal4853. Fuente ...

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... Science 10.1126/science.aal4853 (2018). Projektet finansierades av polska forskningsmedel tillsammans med Vetenskapsrådet. Ämnen.

Nov 22, 2018 View →
Descubierto un gigantesco antepasado de los mamíferos
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La nueva especie, Lisowicia bojani, se describe en la revista Science. ... http://science.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aal4853. Más ...

Nov 22, 2018 View →
Elephant-sized triassic creature sheds new light on old theories
Blogs

... Science Press Package Team scipak@aaas.org 202-326-6440 @AAAS ... 10.1126/science.aal4853. Share12 Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2. Related ...

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