Aegyptosaurus (pronounced /iːˌdʒɪptəˈsɔrəs/) meaning 'Egypt’s lizard', for the country in which it was discovered (Greek sauros meaning 'lizard') is a genus of dinosaur believed to have lived in what is now Africa, around 95 million years ago, during the mid- and late-Cretaceous Period (Albian to Cenomanian stages). This quadrupedal sauropod was a herbivore and its fossils have been found in Egypt, Niger and in several different locations in the Sahara Desert. All known examples were discovered before 1939. The fossils were stored together in Munich, but were obliterated when an Allied bombing raid destroyed the museum where they were kept in 1944, during World War II. Aegyptosaurus was described by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer in 1932.[1] It is estimated to have weighed roughly 10.5 tonnes (11.5 tons), was 15 meters (50) feet long and was over 5 meters (16 ft) tall.[citation needed] It had a long neck and a small skull. The animal's long tail probably acted as a counterweight to its body mass. Aegyptosaurus was a close relative of Argentinosaurus, a much larger dinosaur found in South America. It is possible that Aegyptosaurus was common prey for large predatory dinosaurs, such as Carcharodontosaurus and Spinosaurus. References 1. ^ Stromer, E. (1932a). Ergebnisse der Forschungsreisen Prof. E. Stromers in den Wüsten Ägyptens. II. Wirbeltierreste der Baharîje-Stufe (unterstes Cenoman). 11. Sauropoda. Abhandlungen der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften Mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Abteilung, Neue Folge, 10: 1-21. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/" |
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