Mendozasaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur. It was a primitive member of Titanosauria, which were relatively short necked and short tailed sauropods successful on the southern landmasses during the Cretaceous period.
| Mendozasaurus Fossil range: Late Cretaceous |
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| Mendozasaurus neguyelap Gonzalez Riga, 2003 |
Mendozasaurus is known from incomplete remains that show it was an armoured animal, with armour being common among many other titanosaurs such as Saltasaurus. This dinosaur lived from the late Turonian to the late Coniacian, approximately 89-85 million years ago.
The type species, Mendozasaurus neguyelap, was described by Dr. Bernardo J. Gonzalez Riga [1] in 2003. Mendozasaurus is the first dinosaur named from Mendoza Province, Argentina.
References
* González Riga, B.J. (2003). "A new titanosaur (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mendoza, Argentina". Amehginiana 40: 155-172.
* González Riga, B.J. (2005). "Nuevos restos fósiles de Mendozasaurus neguyelap (Sauropoda: Titanosauridae) del Cretácico Tardío de Mendoza, Argentina". Ameghiniana 42 (3): 535-538.
* González Riga, B.J. and Astini, R. (2007). "Fossil preservation of large titanosaur sauropods in overbank fluvial facies: a case study in the Cretaceous of Argentina". Journal of South American Earth Sciences 23: 290-303.
External links
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