Loricosaurus

Lo-ree-ko-sore-us.
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Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Loricosaurus ‭(‬armour lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Lo-ree-ko-sore-us.

Named By

Friedrich von Huene‭ ‬-‭ ‬1929.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Sauropoda,‭ ‬Titanosauria,‭ ‬Saltasaurinae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

L.‭ scutatus

Size

Impossible to know due to severe lack of skeletal remains.

Known locations

Argentina‭ ‬-‭ ‬Allen Formation.

Time Period

Campanian/Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Osteoderms‭ (‬bony armour plates‭)‬.

In Depth

       The description of Loricosaurus was first based upon the discovery of osteoderm armour that was initially perceived to have come from an ankylosaur.‭ ‬Later it was realised that these osteoderms actually came from a titanosaur,‭ ‬however,‭ ‬by themselves they are not very diagnostic of a distinct genus,‭ ‬which is why Loricosaurus is widely regarded as a nomen dubium.‭ ‬Fossils of one former species of Loricosaurus,‭ ‬L.‭ ‬scutatus,‭ ‬has already been identified as belonging to Neuquensaurus,‭ ‬while the type species,‭ ‬L.‭ ‬noricus may also be synonymous with Neuquensaurus,‭ ‬or perhaps alternatively Saltasaurus.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Die Besonderheit der Titanosaurier‭ [‬The peculiarity of titanosaurs‭]‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Centralblatt f�r Mineralogie,‭ ‬Geologie und Pal�ontologie Abteilung A‭ ‬1929:493-499.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Friedrich von Huene‭ ‬-‭ ‬1929.

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