Name:
Atsinganosaurus
(gypsy lizard).
Phonetic: At-sing-ah-no-sore-us.
Named By: G�raldine Garcia, Sauveur Amico,
Francois Fournier, Eudes Thouand & Xavier Valentin -
2010.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria,
Saurischia, Sauropoda, Somphospondyli, Titanosauria.
Species: A. velauciensis
(type).
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Uncertain.
Known locations: France - Gr�s � Reptiles
Formation.
Time period: Campanian/Maastrichtian of the
Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Partial post cranial remains
of at least two individuals.
Atsinganosaurus
is named from the Ancient Greek word atsinganos which means
‘gypsy’, and is a reference to a proposed east to west migration
for these dinosaurs. The known remains of Atsinganosaurus
are
fragmentary but in otherwise a good state of preservation.
Unfortunately the overall lack of them means that it is hard to say
anything beyond the simple facts that Atsinganosaurus
would have been
mid-sized and fairly gracile.
Another
titanosaur genus from France that also lived during the late Cretaceous
is Ampelosaurus.
Other titanosaurs
known to have been living in
Europe during the late Cretaceous include Magyarosaurus
and
Lirainosaurus.
Further reading
- A new Titanosaur genus (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Late
Cretaceous of southern France and its paleobiogeographic implications
- G�raldine Garcia, Sauveur Amico, Francois Fournier, Eudes
Thouand & Xavier Valentin - 2010.