Notocolossus

No-toe-col-los-sus.
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Nisha Yadav

Physicist

Nisha Yadav is a dedicated physicist whose work bridges the gap between physics and paleontology. With a deep interest in the processes that preserve ancient life, she explores how physical principles govern fossilization and the preservation of extinct species.

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Name

Notocolossus ‭(‬Southern colossus‭)‬.

Phonetic

No-toe-col-los-sus.

Named By

B.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Gonz�lez Riga,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Lamanna,‭ ‬L.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Ortiz David,‭ ‬J.‭ ‬O.‭ ‬Calvo‭ & ‬J.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Coria‭ ‬-‭ ‬2016.

Classification

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

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

N.‭ ‬gonzalezparejasi‭

Size

Humerus measures about‭ ‬1.76‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Argentina‭ ‬-‭ ‬Plottier Formation.

Time Period

Coniacian to Santonian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial post cranial remains of at least two individuals together including dorsal‭ (‬back‭) ‬and caudal‭ (‬tail‭) ‬vertebrae,‭ ‬partial pubis,‭ ‬hind foot bones and a humerus‭ (‬upper arm bone‭)‬.

In Depth

       Notocolossus seems to be yet another genus of giant titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from South America,‭ ‬a continent that is now famous for the presence of such dinosaurs.‭ ‬The full length of Notocolossus is still speculative,‭ ‬but with an upper arm bone measuring‭ ‬1.76‭ ‬meters in length,‭ ‬it is fairly safe to say that Notocolossus would have been easily about the twenty-five meter long mark.‭ ‬This could be just as well as South America at this time is known to have also had very large predators such as carcharodontid theropod dinosaurs such as Giganotosaurus and Mapusaurus roaming about at this time as well.

       In the initial‭ ‬2016‭ ‬description of the genus,‭ ‬Notocolossus was treated as a sister species to Dreadnoughtus which was named in‭ ‬2014.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A gigantic new dinosaur from Argentina and the evolution of the sauropod hind foot.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Scientific Reports‭ ‬6:19165:1-15.‭ ‬-‭ ‬B.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Gonz�lez Riga,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Lamanna,‭ ‬L.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Ortiz David,‭ ‬J.‭ ‬O.‭ ‬Calvo‭ & ‬J.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Coria‭ ‬-‭ ‬2016.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT