Caieiria

Cai-ei-re-ah.
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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

Caieiria ‭(‬named after the location where the holotype was discovered‭)‬.

Phonetic

Cai-ei-re-ah.

Named By

Julian C.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Silva,‭ ‬Agust�n G.‭ ‬Martinelli,‭ ‬Thiago S.‭ ‬Marinho,‭ ‬Jo�o Ismael da Silva,‭ & ‬Max C.‭ ‬Langer‭ ‬-‭ ‬2022.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Sauropoda,‭ ‬Titanosauria,‭ ‬Lithostrotia,‭ ‬Aeolosaurini.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

C.‭ ‬allocaudata‭

Size

Uncertain due to lack of fossil remains.

Known locations

Brazil‭ ‬-‭ ‬Serra da Galga Formation.

Time Period

Late Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Caudal vertebrae.

In Depth

       Caieiria is a genus of titanosaur that lived in South America during the late Cretaceous.‭ ‬At the time of its naming,‭ ‬Caieiria was only known from tail vertebrae.‭ ‬These vertebrae however show strongly developed side process as well as vertical spines about half the height of the centra‭ (‬the round disc part‭ ‬of the vertebrae‭)‬.‭ ‬The anterior caudal vertebrae also show a developed excavation.‭ ‬It is a combination of these features which led to the type species name of C.‭ ‬allocaudata,‭ ‬the allocaudata part basically meaning‭ ‘‬strange tail‭’‬.

       Like other Titanosaurs,‭ ‬Caieiria is expected to have had the long the neck and tail of other similar dinosaurs of its kind,‭ ‬as like relatives,‭ ‬possibly armoured osteoderm plates within the skin of its body, though at the time of writing that is just conjecture for this dinosaur.

Further reading

-‭ ‬New specimens of Baurutitan britoi and a taxonomic reassessment of the titanosaur dinosaur fauna‭ (‬Sauropoda‭) ‬from the Serra da Galga Formation‭ (‬Late Cretaceous‭) ‬of Brazil.‭ ‬-‭ ‬PeerJ.‭ ‬10.‭ ‬e14333.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Julian C.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Silva,‭ ‬Agust�n G.‭ ‬Martinelli,‭ ‬Thiago S.‭ ‬Marinho,‭ ‬Jo�o Ismael da Silva,‭ & ‬Max C.‭ ‬Langer‭ ‬-‭ ‬2022.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT