Mendozasaurus

Men-doe-zah-sore-us.
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Emerson Winslow

Paleoichthyologist

Emerson Winslow delves into the underwater world of prehistoric fish, uncovering the mysteries of early marine life. His discoveries have enhanced understanding of vertebrate evolution in aquatic environments.

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Name

Mendozasaurus ‭(‬Medoza lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Men-doe-zah-sore-us.

Named By

B.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Gonz�lez Riga‭ ‬-‭ ‬2003.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia.‭ ‬Sauropodomorpha,‭ ‬Sauropoda,‭ ‬Titanosauria.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

M.‭ ‬neguyelap‭

Size

Uncertain due to lack of remains.

Known locations

Argentina,‭ ‬Mendoza province.

Time Period

Turonian/Coniacian.

Fossil representation

Partial post cranial remains.

In Depth

       Mendozasaurus is a genus of titanosaur that lived in South America during the late Cretaceous.‭ ‬Although only known from incomplete remains,‭ ‬Mendozasaurus is thought to have had quite a long neck as well as osteoderms in the skin.‭ ‬Osteoderm armour in the skin has been observed in some other South American titanosaurs,‭ ‬with the most well known‭ ‬being‭ ‬the genus Saltasaurus.‭ ‬Mendozasaurus is considered to be quite closely related to genera such as Quetecsaurus and Futalognkosaurus.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new titanosaur‭ (‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Sauropoda‭) ‬from the Upper Cretaceous of Mendoza,‭ ‬Argentina‭ ‬-‭ ‬Amehginiana‭ ‬40:‭ ‬155-172.‭ ‬-‭ ‬B.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Gonz�lez Riga‭ ‬-‭ ‬2003. -‭ ‬Fossil preservation of large titanosaur sauropods in overbank fluvial facies:‭ ‬a case study in the Cretaceous of Argentina‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of South American Earth Sciences‭ ‬23:‭ ‬290-303.‭ ‬-‭ ‬B.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Gonz�lez Riga‭ & ‬R.‭ ‬Astin‭ ‬-‭ ‬2007.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT