Epachthosaurus

E-pak-foe-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

Epachthosaurus ‭(‬Heavy lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

E-pak-foe-sore-us.

Named By

J.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Powell‭ ‬-‭ ‬1990.

Classification

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

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

E.‭ ‬sciuttoni‭

Size

Up to ten meters long.

Known locations

Argentina,‭ ‬Chubut Province‭ ‬-‭ ‬Bajo Barreal Formation.

Time Period

Cenomaian/Turnonian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Remains of three individuals,‭ ‬one of which is represented by an articulated and almost complete partial post cranial specimen.

In Depth

       Epachthosaurus is a genus of basal titanosaur that lived in South America during the late Cretaceous.‭ ‬This is significant because much more advanced titanosaurs were living in South America at this time,‭ ‬which in itself suggests that Epachthosaurus was a late surviving form.‭ ‬One individual of Epachthosaurus‭ (‬UNPSJB-PV‭ ‬920‭) ‬is represented by an almost complete skeleton lacking only the skull and some of the vertebrae,‭ ‬and is recognised as one of the most complete individual titanosaurifom skeletons so far discovered.

       Epachthosaurus seems to have been quite small for its type of dinosaur,‭ ‬and living in South America during the late Cretaceous,‭ ‬it may have been preyed upon by abelisaurs,‭ ‬and perhaps even carcharodontosaurs.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Epachthosaurus sciuttoi‭ (‬gen.‭ ‬et sp.‭ ‬nov.‭)‬,‭ ‬un dinosaurio sauropodo del Cret�cico de Patagonia‭ (‬Provincia de Chubut,‭ ‬Argentina‭) [‬Epachthosaurus sciuttoi‭ (‬gen.‭ ‬et sp.‭ ‬nov.‭)‬,‭ ‬a sauropod dinosaur from the Cretaceous of Patagonia‭ (‬Chubut province,‭ ‬Argentina‭)]‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Actas del V Congreso Argentino de Paleontologia y Bioestratigrafia,‭ ‬Tucum�n,‭ ‬Argentina‭ ‬1:123-128‭ ‬-‭ ‬J.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Powell‭ ‬-‭ ‬1990.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT