Amazonsaurus

Am-ah-zon-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

Amazonsaurus ‭(‬Amazon lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Am-ah-zon-sore-us.

Named By

Ismar de Souza Carvalho,‭ ‬Leonardo dos Santos Avilla‭ & ‬Leonardo Salgado‭ ‬-‭ ‬2003.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Sauropodomorpha,‭ ‬Sauropoda,‭ ‬Diplodocoidea, Rebbachisauridae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

A.‭ ‬maranhensis‭

Size

Estimated up to‭ ‬12‭ ‬meters long,‭ ‬but lack of remains make it impossible to be certain.

Known locations

Brazil,‭ ‬Legal Amazon‭ ‬-‭ ‬Itapecuru Formation.

Time Period

Aptian to Albian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial post cranial remains including dorsal‭ (‬back‭) ‬and caudal‭ (‬tail‭) ‬vertebrae,‭ ‬ribs and a fragmentary pelvis.

In Depth

       Although certainly not the only dinosaur to be discovered in Brazil,‭ ‬Amazonsaurus was still the first discovered within the Amazon Basin.‭ ‬Amazonsaurus is confirmed as a diplodocoid sauropod,‭ ‬but the lack of fossil remains makes it difficult to tell what kind.‭ ‬One possibility is that Amazonsaurus might be a rebbachisaurid,‭ ‬a sub group of the Diplodocoidea whose members are known from the early Cretaceous with some actually living in South America.

       Study of the areas that the Amazonsaurus holotype was recovered from indicates that back in the early Cretaceous it was a floodplain associated with a river delta.‭ ‬Assuming that the Amazonsaurus remains were not washed down there from a location upstream,‭ ‬this would see Amazonsaurus roaming in low lying‭; ‬relatively open ground while feeding upon low growing vegetation.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Amazonsaurus maranhensis gen.‭ ‬et sp.‭ ‬nov.‭ (‬Sauropoda,‭ ‬Diplodocoidea‭) ‬from the Lower Cretaceous‭ (‬Aptian–Albian‭) ‬of Brazil,‭ ‬Ismar de Souza Carvalho,‭ ‬Leonardo dos Santos Avilla‭ & ‬Leonardo Salgado‭ ‬-‭ ‬2003. – Lower Cretaceous rebbachisaurid sauropods from Cerro Aguada del Le�n (Lohan Cura Formation), Neuqu�n Province, northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. – L. Salgado, A. Garrido, S. E. Cocca & J. R. Cocca – 2004.

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