Earlier this 12 months, researchers revealed the invention of a brand new titanosaur from Patagonia. The dinosaur named Titanomachya gimenezi comes from northern Chubut Province in central Patagonia. A number of titanosaur taxa have been reported from northern Patagonia, in addition to few titanosaurs from southern Patagonia. Nevertheless, titanosaurs from the end-Cretaceous of central Patagonia are poorly identified. The fossil specimen represents an grownup animal. It’s described as a small-bodied saltasauroid. Nevertheless, regardless of being small by titanosaur requirements, it has been estimated that Titanomachya weighed round 8 tonnes (weight estimates vary from 5.8 to 9.8 tonnes).
Titanomachya gimenezi life reconstruction. Image credit score: Gabriel Diaz.
Image credit score: Gabriel Diaz
Fossils from the La Colonia Formation
The fossils come from La Colonia Formation and the analysis staff consisted of Agustín Pérez Moreno, Leonardo Salgado, José Luis Carballido, Alejandro Otero, and Diego Pol. These eminent researchers herald from quite a lot of Argentinian establishments together with the Museo de La Plata (MLP), the Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio (MEF) and the Fundación Félix de Azara-Universidad Maimónides.
Titanomachya gimenezi fossil excavation. Image credit score: Vincent Brusca.
Image credit score: Vincent Brusca
The strata through which the fossils had been discovered date from the Higher Cretaceous (Maastrichtian faunal stage). This means that Titanomachya gimenezi roamed this a part of Gondwana round seventy million years in the past. The genus identify is derived from the Titanomachy, a legendary battle fought by the Olympian gods in opposition to the Titans in Greek mythology. On this battle, the Titans misplaced. The identify is acceptable and becoming since Titanomachya comes from the time when the titanosaurs had been heading for extinction. The species identify honours the late Dr Olga Giménez. Dr Giménez performed a pivotal position within the research of vertebrate fossils present in central Patagonia. She was the primary palaeontologist to review the dinosaurs of the Chubut province.
Subject staff members excavating the fossils. Image credit score: Vincent Brusca.
Image credit score: Vincent Brusca
Finding out the Fossil Materials
Greater than fifteen scientists have been concerned within the discipline work. The excavation work was carried out over two years and the fossil materials discovered consists of parts from the limbs together with fragments of ribs and a caudal vertebra. As soon as uncovered, the fossils had been jacketed with burlap and plaster and despatched to the MEF laboratories for preparation.
Skeletal reconstruction of Titanomachya gimenezi. The bones colored blue characterize the identified fossil materials. Image credit score: Gabriel Lio.
Image credit score: Gabriel Lio
This newly described titanosaur is the smallest identified from central Patagonia. Titanomachya (pronounced tie-tan-om-mack-ee-ah), might have measured round ten metres lengthy when absolutely grown. It was related in dimension to Neuquensaurus australis and Saltasaurus loricatus, to which it was intently associated. The analysis staff recognized a number of distinctive autapomorphies which allowed them to confidently erect a brand new taxon. For instance, the astragalus (bone from the ankle), demonstrates distinctive morphology. It exhibits intermediate traits between the Saltasauroidea titanosaurs and the Colossosauria clade of titanosaurs. These autapomorphies spotlight the importance of this discovery because it supplies an evolutionary hyperlink between several types of sauropod.
Moreover, phylogenetic research have demonstrated that Titanomachya is a derived titanosaur. It’s a member of the good Saltasauroidea lineage.
Titanomachya gimenezi fossils uncovered on the floor. Image credit score: Vincent Brusca.
Image credit score: Vincent Brusca
Titanomachya gimenezi and the South America Titanosaur Biota
The La Colonia formation has additionally yielded the well-known theropod Carnotaurus in addition to different materials. Fossils representing different carnivorous dinosaurs have been found. As an example, the lately described abelisaurid Koleken (Ok. inakayali).
To learn extra about Koleken: A New Abelisaurid from Southern Argentina.
As well as, the stays of ornithischian dinosaurs have been discovered. Nevertheless, Titanomachya gimenezi represents considered one of solely a handful of outlined taxa and the primary sauropod identified from this formation. This discovery sheds gentle on the variety of the area’s ecosystems on the very finish of the Age of Dinosaurs. Furthermore, it supplies essential information relating to the composition of sauropod populations in Patagonia through the Maastrichtian.
The researchers postulate that distinct sauropod faunas existed in numerous components of Patagonia and likewise in Brazil over the Campanian and Maastrichtian Epochs. In northern Patagonia, aeolosaurines and saltasaurines dominated, while in southern Patagonia, the sauropod biota largely comprised colossosaurians and different massive titanosaurs. In distinction, the much less well-known sauropod fauna from central Patagonia appears to have consisted of small-bodied saltasauroids resembling Titanomachya together with members of the aeolosaurini and derived eutitanosaurs.
Titanomachya gimenezi in its low-lying coastal habitat. Image credit score: Gabriel Diaz.
Image credit score: Gabriel Diaz
Additional Analysis Deliberate
Summarising their analysis so far, the scientists recommend that Titanomachya supplies a brand new perspective on the wealthy historical past of sauropods in Patagonia. As well as, this distinctive specimen opens the door to future analysis that can discover the variety and evolution of those wonderful herbivores.
Every part Dinosaur acknowledges the help of corresponding creator Dr Pérez Moreno CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Buenos Aires, Argentina, within the compilation of this text.
The scientific paper: “A brand new titanosaur from the La Colonia Formation (Campanian-Maastrichtian), Chubut Province, Argentina” by Agustín Pérez-Moreno, Leonardo Salgado, José L. Carballido, Alejandro Otero and Diego Pol revealed in Historic Biology.
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