Achillesaurus

Ah-kil-le-sore-us.
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Claire Morris

Marine Paleontologist

Claire Morris has dedicated her career to exploring the depths of prehistoric oceans. Her fascination with ancient marine life has led her to discover significant fossils that illuminate the evolution of early sea creatures.

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Name

Achillesaurus ‭(‬Achilles lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Ah-kil-le-sore-us.

Named By

Agust�n G.‭ ‬Martinelli‭ & ‬Ezequiel I.‭ ‬Vera‭ ‬-‭ ‬2007.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Alvarezsauroidea,‭ ‬Alvarezsauridae.

Diet

Insectivore.

Species

A.‭ ‬manazzonei‭

Size

Unavailable.

Known locations

Argentina,‭ ‬Rio Negro Province‭ ‬-‭ ‬Bajo de la Carpa Formation.

Time Period

Santonian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial post cranial skeleton.

In Depth

       Achillesaurus has been identified as a basal alvarezsaur that lived in Argentina during the late Cretaceous,‭ ‬but there is now some question to its validity.‭ ‬Achillesaurus was thought to have lived alongside the type genus of the alvarezsauridae,‭ ‬Alvarezsaurus.‭ ‬A‭ ‬2012‭ ‬study by Makovicky et al.‭ ‬however has raised the notion that Achillesaurus and Alvarezsaurus may in fact be one and the same dinosaur.‭ ‬If so then Achillesaurus would become a synonym of Alvarezsaurus.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Achillesaurus manazzonei,‭ ‬a new alvarezsaurid theropod‭ (‬Dinosauria‭) ‬from the Late Cretaceous Bajo de la Carpa Formation,‭ ‬R�o Negro Province,‭ ‬Argentina‭ ‬-‭ ‬Agust�n G.‭ ‬Martinelli‭ & ‬Ezequiel I.‭ ‬Vera‭ ‬-‭ ‬2007. -‭ ‬A New Coelurosaurian Theropod from the La Buitrera Fossil Locality of R�o Negro,‭ ‬Argentina‭ ‬-‭ ‬P.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Makovicky,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬N.‭ ‬Apestegu�a,‭ ‬F.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Gianechini‭ ‬-‭ ‬2012.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT