Maxakalisaurus

Max-ah-kal-e-sore-us.
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Maeve Foster

Paleoclimatologist

Maeve Foster explores the Earth's climatic past to understand the forces that shaped life on our planet. Her research into ancient climate events provides valuable context for current environmental challenges.

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Name

Maxakalisaurus ‭(‬Maxakali lizard,‭ ‬after a Topa divinity‭)‬.

Phonetic

Max-ah-kal-e-sore-us.

Named By

A.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Kellner,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Campos,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬K.‭ ‬Azevedo,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬N.‭ ‬F.‭ ‬Trotta,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Henriques,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬T.‭ ‬Craik‭ & ‬H.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Silva‭ ‬-‭ ‬2006.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Sauropoda,‭ ‬Titanosauria,‭ ‬Aeolosauridae,‭ ‬Aeolosaurini.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

M.‭ ‬topai‭

Size

Holotype,‭ ‬estimated to be about‭ ‬13‭ ‬meters long,‭ ‬but possibly as much as‭ ‬20‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Brazil‭ ‬-‭ ‬Adamantina Formation.

Time Period

Turonian to Santonian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial remains.

In Depth

       Like with Saltasaurus,‭ ‬Maxakalisaurus is a titanosaur known to have had bony plates called osteoderms‭ (‬scutes‭) ‬in the skin for additional protection from harm.‭ ‬The post cranial skeleton of Maxakalisaurus also hints at a relationship to other aeolsaurid genera such as Aeolosaurus,‭ ‬Gondwanatitan.‭ ‬Maxakalisaurus is one of the largest dinosaurs known to have lived in Brazil,‭ ‬though isolated fossils of other dinosaurs hint that many could grow bigger,‭ ‬but these are usually so poor and incomplete that they cannot be used to identify a genus.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬On a new titanosaur sauropod from the Bauru Group,‭ ‬Late Cretaceous of Brazil‭ ‬-‭ ‬A.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Kellner,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Campos,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬K.‭ ‬Azevedo,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬N.‭ ‬F.‭ ‬Trotta,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Henriques,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬T.‭ ‬Craik‭ & ‬H.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Silva‭ ‬-‭ ‬2006. – New lower jaw and teeth referred to Maxakalisaurus topai (Titanosauria: Aeolosaurini) and their implications for the phylogeny of titanosaurid sauropods. – PeerJ 4:e2054; – Marco A.G. Fran�a​, J�lio C. de A. Marsola, Douglas Riff, Annie S. Hsiou & Max C. Langer – 2016.

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