Andesauridae
|
Andesaurus Temporal range: Cenomanian 99.6–97 Ma |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Restoration of Andesaurus and Giganotosaurus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Superorder: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Sauropodomorpha |
| Infraorder: | Sauropoda |
| (unranked): | Titanosauria |
| Family: |
Andesauridae Calvo & Bonaparte, 1991 |
| Genus: | Andesaurus |
| Binomial name | |
|
Andesaurus delgadoi Calvo & Bonaparte, 1991 |
|
Andesaurus (/ˌændᵻˈsɔːrəs/ AN-də-SAWR-əs; "Andes lizard") is a genus of basal titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur which existed during the middle of the Cretaceous Period in South America. Like most sauropods, it would have had a small head on the end of a long neck and an equally long tail. Andesaurus was a very large animal, as were many others of its relatives, which included the largest animals ever to walk the Earth.
In 1991, paleontologists Jorge Orlando Calvo and José Fernando Bonaparte named Andesaurus, which refers to the Andes and also includes the Greek word sauros ("lizard"), because of the proximity of this animal's remains to the Andes. Andesaurus fossils were found by Alejandro Delgado, after whom the single known species (A. delgadoi) is named.
The only known material of Andesaurus is a partial skeleton consisting of a series of four vertebrae from the lower back, as well as 27 tail vertebrae, divided up into two series from separate parts of the tail. The vertebrae from the middle part of its tail had elongated centra. Elements of the pelvis were also discovered, including two ischia and a pubis bone, along with rib fragments and an incomplete humerus and femur. Size estimates place Andesaurus at roughly 15 metres (49 ft) to 18 metres (59 ft) in length, and 7 metric tons (7.7 short tons) in weight.
...
Wikipedia