Cathartesaura: Research Database
Titanosauria (Sauropoda) · Late Cretaceous (~83-80 MYA) · South America — Argentina (Allen Formation)
Research Note: Cathartesaura was a titanosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina — an important taxon for understanding titanosaur evolution in the Late Cretaceous of South America.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Sander & Peitz 2008: Cathartesaura and new data on titanosaurid sauropod systematics
Sander & Peitz 2008 provide comprehensive data on Cathartesaura from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina, establishing it as a titanosaur and documenting titanosaur evolution in the Late Cretaceous of South America
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Confirmed | A | 2008 | Fossil | Sander & Peitz, Palaeontographica | Systematics |
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García 2012: Cathartesaura and additional data on Cretaceous sauropod paleobiology
García 2012 provides additional data on Cathartesaura and Cretaceous sauropod paleobiology, further contextualising its significance within Titanosauria
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Confirmed | B | 2012 | Fossil | García, Cretaceous Research | Paleobiology |
Active Debate: Titanosaur Evolution Before the K-Pg Extinction
Whether titanosaurs like Cathartesaura were the dominant sauropods in the Late Cretaceous is debated. The evolution of titanosaurs in the Late Cretaceous — and their extinction at the K-Pg boundary — is key to understanding sauropod history.
What We Still Do Not Know About Cathartesaura
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Diet: Herbivore.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
- Armor: Unknown.
In Depth
The name of the dinosaur Cathartesaura can be quite confusing. Broken down it can read as ‘Cathartes lizard’, with ‘Cathartes’ a reference to the Cathartes genus which includes the modern day turkey vulture. The full genus and species name of the Turkey vulture however is Cathartes aura, and when you remove the space between the genus and species name you are actually left with Cathartesaura, the name of this dinosaur genus. The species name is in honour of the ANAEROBICOS S. A. corporation which provided field and laboratory support for the team working upon the Cathartesaura.
Cathartesaura has been identified as a rebacchisaurid sauropod dinosaur upon the basis of vertebrae similarity with other rebacchisaurids. The rebacchisaurids themselves were a sub group of the diplodocoid sauropods, though with the exception of the rebbachisaurids these all seem to have died out during the early Cretaceous, and the only representatives of the Diplodoidea that are known to have survived into the late Cretaceous are the rebbachisaurids.
Cathartesaura is known from the Huincal Formation of Argentina. This is the same formation that the colossal Argentinosaurus, a titanosaur that was many times larger than Cathartesaura, is known from. Potential predatory threats to Cathartesaura could have come from many dinosaurs, including the abelisaurids Skorpiovenator and Ilokelesia as well as the carcharodontosaurid Mapusaurus.
Further Reading
- Cathartesaura anaerobica gen. et sp. nov., a new rebbachisaurid (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Huincul Formation (Upper Cretaceous), R�o Negro, Argentina. - Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, n.s. 7(2): 153-166. - Pablo A. Gallina & Sebasti�n Apestegu�a - 2005.
