Futalognkosaurus
Sign in to saveFutalognkosaurus ( ; meaning "giant chief lizard") is a genus of titanosaurian dinosaur. The herbivorous Futalognkosaurus lived approximately 93.5 to 85.8 million years ago in the Portezuelo Formation, in what is now Argentina, of the Coniacian stage of the late Cretaceous Period. The fish and fossilized leaf debris on the site, together with other dinosaur remains, suggest a warm tropical climate in Patagonia during this period.
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- Discovery
- Description
- Classification
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Futalognkosaurus ( ; meaning "giant chief lizard") is a genus of titanosaurian dinosaur. The herbivorous Futalognkosaurus lived approximately 93.5 to 85.8 million years ago in the Portezuelo Formation, in what is now Argentina, of the Coniacian stage of the late Cretaceous Period. The fish and fossilized leaf debris on the site, together with other dinosaur remains, suggest a warm tropical climate in Patagonia during this period.
==Discovery== Fossils of Futalognkosaurus were found in the Neuquén province of Argentina in 2000, and were scientifically described in 2007, alongside sauropods, Megaraptor, Unenlagia, iguanodonts, peirosaurids, and pterosaurs. The holotype was found near the margins of a river. The holotype was hypothesised to have been washed into the river after its death. Due to its giant size the carcass likely acted as a barrier, altering the course of the river around it, lasting long enough for fish and bivalves to live in it, and eventually leaving an oxbow lake behind.