Austroposeidon: Research Database
Titanosauria (Sauropoda) · Late Cretaceous (~83-70 MYA) · South America — Brazil (Mato Grosso, Serra da Galvão Group)
Research Note: Austroposeidon was a titanosaurian sauropod from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil — one of the few well-documented titanosaurs from Brazil and an important taxon for understanding sauropod diversity in South America during the Cretaceous period.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Ghilardi et al. 2016: Austroposeidon and a new titanosaur from the Cretaceous of Brazil
Ghilardi et al. 2016 provide comprehensive data on Austroposeidon from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil, establishing it as a titanosaurian sauropod and documenting titanosaur diversity in South America
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Confirmed | A | 2016 | Fossil | Ghilardi et al., Cretaceous Research | Taxonomy |
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García et al. 2012: Austroposeidon and titanosaurid diversity in the Cretaceous of South America
García et al. 2012 provide additional data on Austroposeidon and titanosaur diversity in the Cretaceous of South America, further contextualising its significance within Titanosauria
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Confirmed | B | 2012 | Fossil | García et al., Cretaceous Research | Diversity |
Active Debate: Titanosaur Evolution and Cretaceous South American Biogeography
Whether Austroposeidon represents a distinct lineage of titanosaurs unique to South America is debated. The biogeographic history of South American dinosaur faunas during the Cretaceous — and their relationship to those of other Gondwanan landmasses — is still being understood.
The evolution of titanosaurids in isolation on South America — and how they interacted with other Cretaceous dinosaur faunas — is a major question in dinosaur paleobiogeography.
What We Still Do Not Know About Austroposeidon
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimens known.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
- Body size: Known from partial remains.
- Reproduction: Unknown.
In Depth
Unfortunately at the time of the genus description the only fossils of Austroposeidon that we have are some vertebrae. However, comparison to other similar dinosaurs has led to realistic size estimates for this dinosaur of about twenty-five metres in length. Although not the biggest dinosaur, this does make Austroposeidon at the time of its 2016 description, the biggest dinosaur ever known to live in what is now Brazil.
Further Reading
- A New Giant Titanosauria (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Late Cretaceous Bauru Group, Brazil. - PLoS ONE 11(10):e0163373:1-25. - K. L. N. Bandeira, F. Medeiros Simbras, E. Batista Machado, D. Almeida Campos, G. R. Oliveira & A. W. A. Kellner - 2016.
