Maxakalisaurus

Max-ah-kal-e-sore-us.
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John Stewart

Paleoecologist

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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Name

Maxakalisaurus ‭(‬Maxakali lizard,‭ ‬after a Topa divinity‭)‬.

Phonetic

Max-ah-kal-e-sore-us.

Named By

A.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Kellner,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Campos,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬K.‭ ‬Azevedo,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬N.‭ ‬F.‭ ‬Trotta,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Henriques,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬T.‭ ‬Craik‭ & ‬H.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Silva‭ ‬-‭ ‬2006.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Sauropoda,‭ ‬Titanosauria,‭ ‬Aeolosauridae,‭ ‬Aeolosaurini.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

M.‭ ‬topai‭

Size

Holotype,‭ ‬estimated to be about‭ ‬13‭ ‬meters long,‭ ‬but possibly as much as‭ ‬20‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Brazil‭ ‬-‭ ‬Adamantina Formation.

Time Period

Turonian to Santonian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial remains.

In Depth

       Like with Saltasaurus,‭ ‬Maxakalisaurus is a titanosaur known to have had bony plates called osteoderms‭ (‬scutes‭) ‬in the skin for additional protection from harm.‭ ‬The post cranial skeleton of Maxakalisaurus also hints at a relationship to other aeolsaurid genera such as Aeolosaurus,‭ ‬Gondwanatitan.‭ ‬Maxakalisaurus is one of the largest dinosaurs known to have lived in Brazil,‭ ‬though isolated fossils of other dinosaurs hint that many could grow bigger,‭ ‬but these are usually so poor and incomplete that they cannot be used to identify a genus.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬On a new titanosaur sauropod from the Bauru Group,‭ ‬Late Cretaceous of Brazil‭ ‬-‭ ‬A.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Kellner,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Campos,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬K.‭ ‬Azevedo,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬N.‭ ‬F.‭ ‬Trotta,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Henriques,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬T.‭ ‬Craik‭ & ‬H.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Silva‭ ‬-‭ ‬2006. – New lower jaw and teeth referred to Maxakalisaurus topai (Titanosauria: Aeolosaurini) and their implications for the phylogeny of titanosaurid sauropods. – PeerJ 4:e2054; – Marco A.G. Fran�a​, J�lio C. de A. Marsola, Douglas Riff, Annie S. Hsiou & Max C. Langer – 2016.

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