In Depth
Fossils of Lourinhasaurus were first described in 1957, but were initially thought to be a species of Apatosaurus. A second individual described in 1983 led to the notion that the fossils were not of a new species but an entirely new genus. Fossils of Lourinhasaurus have also previously been labelled as species of the genera Atlantosaurus and Camarasaurus. Another genus of sauropod from Portugal called Dinheirosaurus has been previously considered to be a synonym of Lourinhasaurus, though modern study has identified these two genera as being separate.
Lourinhasaurus was a late Jurassic era sauropod that seems to have been quite common in Western Europe during the Jurassic, since it is known by the remains of several individuals. Although initial classification as a species of Apatosaurus may lead some to assume Lourinhasaurus was like other diplodocids, later studies have suggested that Lourinhasaurus was actually more like Camarasaurus in form. This means that Lourinhasaurus was likely more suited to the life of a high browser.
Lourinhasaurus should not be confused with the very similarly named Lourinhanosaurus, a very different kind of theropod dinosaur to the sauropod that Lourinhasaurus was.
Further Reading
- Lourinhasaurus n. gen. Novo dinosaurio sauropode do Juassico superior (Kimeridgiano superior-Titoniano inferior) de Portugal [Lourinhasaurus n. gen. New sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic (upper Kimmeridgian-lower Tithonian) of Portugal], P. Dantas, J. L. Sanz, C. M. Silva, F. Ortega, V. F. Santos & M. Cachao - 1998. – New approach to Lourinhasaurus alenquerensis (Macronaria, Camarasauromorpha) from the Portuguese Upper Jurassic, by P. Mocho, R. Royo-Torres & F. Ortega. – In, Abstract book of the VI International Symposium about Dinosaurs Palaeontology and their Environment: 91-92. – F. Torcida Fern�ndez-Baldor & P. Huerta (Eds.) – 2013. – Phylogenetic reassessment of Lourinhasaurus alenquerensis, a basal Macronaria (Sauropoda) from the Upper Jurassic of Portugal. – Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 170: 875–916. – P. Mocho, R. Royo-Torres & F. Ortega – 2014.
