Paleontologists have announced the discovery of a new genus and species of titanosaur dinosaur, based on fossilized remains discovered in Uruguay’s Paysandu department.
The newly described dinosaur species roamed the Earth during the Late Cretaceous Period, more than 85 million years ago.
Named Uderartitan Celeste, the body length of the ancient giant was 15 to 16 meters (49 to 52 feet).
This species belongs to a superfamily of dinosaurs called titanosaurs. Saltasaurinae.
“Titanosaurs represent the most successful and diverse group of sauropods, with more than 80 species described since the beginning of this century.” Dr. Matias Soto from the Uruguay Institute of Geosciences and its colleagues.
“They were the most abundant large herbivores of the Gondwana supercontinent during the Late Cretaceous, in sharp contrast to the ornithischian-dominated contemporaneous fauna of Laurasia.”
“This clade appears to have originated in South America, where it shows its greatest diversity, with records ranging from Belian-Varangian to Maastrichtian (145 million years ago to 72 million years ago). Masu.”
Fossilized materials of Uderartitan Celeste (60 vertebrae, bone fragments, and associated eggshells) were discovered within the deposit in 2006. Layers of Guichon near Quebracho, Paysandu Department, Uruguay.
“Titanosaur fossils have been known in Uruguay since the early 20th century, when four species were identified based on fragmentary fossils,” the paleontologists said.
“Such references are questionable, but given the strong central protrusion of the tail, there is no doubt that they were titanosaurs.”
“These discoveries were relevant because they allowed us to confirm the presence of Upper Cretaceous rocks in Uruguay, but given recent discoveries in South America, for example, Ninja Titan Zapatai, Tapuasaurus macedoi. Without additional data, older epochs within the Cretaceous cannot be excluded.”
According to the team: Uderartitan Celeste shows unique combinations and possibilities of character autotapomorphy.
This discovery indicates that at least two titanosaur lineages existed in Uruguay during the Late Cretaceous. Saltasauidea and Saltasauidea. Aerosaurini.
“Uderartitan Celeste represents the second sauropod taxon recognized in Uruguay, after the recently reported one. Aeolosaurus vertebrae from Asensio’s formation” said the researchers.
“Phylogenetic relationships between saltasaurids saltasaurids or non-saltasaurids saltasauridae prove the presence of saltasauroids in the Guichon Formation.”
This finding is reported in the following article: paper in diary Cretaceous research.
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Matias Soto other. Phylogenetic relationships of new species of titanosaurs (order Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Uruguay. Cretaceous research, published online March 26, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2024.105894
Source: www.sci.news
