Tratayenia
Name:
Tratayenia
X
Phonetic: Tra-ta-yen-e-ah.
Named By: J. D. Porfiri, R. D. Ju�rez
Valieric, D. D. D. Santos & M. C. Lamanna -
2018.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria,
Saurischia, Theropoda, Megaraptora, Megaraptoridae.
Species: T. rosalesi (type).
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Roughly estimated to be about 8 meters
long.
Known locations: Argentina - Bajo de la Carpa
Formation.
Time period: Santonian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Partial post cranial remains
including vertebrae, sacrum and partial pubis and ischium.
At
the time of writing Tratayenia is only known from a
partial post
cranial remains, mostly associated with the spine and hips, but the
discovery of even these scant remains has significantly improved our
understanding of the South American dinosaurs in the Cretaceous. It
was long thought that carcharodontosaurid
theropod dinosaurs (e.g.
Mapusaurus)
were the main predators in South America during the
early Cretaceous, before abelisaurid
theropod dinosaurs (e.g.
Carnotaurus)
became dominant in the late Cretaceous. Tratayenia
however belongs to neither of these two groups, Tratayenia
was a
megaraptoran
theropod. While other genera of megaraptoan theropods
(such as Megaraptor)
were already known to have been present in
South America, the presence of Tratayenia in
Santonian aged deposit
proves that the large predatory dinosaurs of South America were far
more diverse in their types throughout the Cretaceous than
previously thought.
Although
we don’t yet know for certain, Tratayenia would
be expected to have
had enlarged claws on its hands as these seem to have been a
recurring feature on other megaraptoran dinosaurs where the hands are
known. Indeed, when these hand claws were first found they were
thought to have been the toe claws of very large dromaeosaurids,
hence the name Megaraptor
for
the type genus of the group. At an
estimated length of eight meters for the holotype individual,
Tratayenia might not have been the biggest predator
in South America,
but still big enough to have been a serious threat to other dinosaurs.
Other
dinosaur genera that Tratayenia might have come
into contact with
include Viavenator,
Velocisaurus,
Traukutitan,
Alvarezsaurus
and
Mahuidacursor.
Further reading
- A new megaraptoran theropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Bajo
de la Carpa Formation of northwestern Patagonia. - Cretaceous
Research 89:302-319. - J. D. Porfiri, R. D. Ju�rez
Valieric, D. D. D. Santos & M. C. Lamanna -
2018.
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