Mendozasaurus

Men-doe-zah-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

Mendozasaurus ‭(‬Medoza lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Men-doe-zah-sore-us.

Named By

B.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Gonz�lez Riga‭ ‬-‭ ‬2003.

Classification

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

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

M.‭ ‬neguyelap‭

Size

Uncertain due to lack of remains.

Known locations

Argentina,‭ ‬Mendoza province.

Time Period

Turonian/Coniacian.

Fossil representation

Partial post cranial remains.

In Depth

       Mendozasaurus is a genus of titanosaur that lived in South America during the late Cretaceous.‭ ‬Although only known from incomplete remains,‭ ‬Mendozasaurus is thought to have had quite a long neck as well as osteoderms in the skin.‭ ‬Osteoderm armour in the skin has been observed in some other South American titanosaurs,‭ ‬with the most well known‭ ‬being‭ ‬the genus Saltasaurus.‭ ‬Mendozasaurus is considered to be quite closely related to genera such as Quetecsaurus and Futalognkosaurus.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new titanosaur‭ (‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Sauropoda‭) ‬from the Upper Cretaceous of Mendoza,‭ ‬Argentina‭ ‬-‭ ‬Amehginiana‭ ‬40:‭ ‬155-172.‭ ‬-‭ ‬B.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Gonz�lez Riga‭ ‬-‭ ‬2003. -‭ ‬Fossil preservation of large titanosaur sauropods in overbank fluvial facies:‭ ‬a case study in the Cretaceous of Argentina‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of South American Earth Sciences‭ ‬23:‭ ‬290-303.‭ ‬-‭ ‬B.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Gonz�lez Riga‭ & ‬R.‭ ‬Astin‭ ‬-‭ ‬2007.

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