Futalognkosaurus (Giant Cheif LIzard) is a gigantic sauropod from Late Cretaceous Argentina. It is a titanosaurian sauropod, measuring at about 26–30 meters long, at maximum. Fossilized leaves and fish at the discovery site suggest a warm climate in Patagonia 87 million years ago.
It speculated to traveled in herds on the same route, like all sauropods. It's legs were column-like, ending with elephant-like feet. Futalognkosaurus could have had some bumps on his back, like many other titanosaurs.
Description[]
The holotype of the type species, Futalognkosaurus dukei, was originally estimated at 32 to 34 metres in length. In 2008 this was downsized to 26 metres. In 2012 Holtz estimated it at 28 metres (92 ft) long and with an approximate weight of 43.5 to 51 tonnes. An estimate by Gregory S. Paul in 2016 was that Futalognkosaurus had a maximum length of 30 metres and a weight of 50+ tonnes. In 2016, using equations that estimate body mass based on the circumference of the humerus and femur of quadrupedal animals, it was given an estimated weight of 38.1 tonnes. In 2019, Paul estimated the weight of the holotype specimen, (MUCPv-323) at 29 tonnes, and later, in 2020, Molina-Pérez and Larramendi estimated its length at 24 metres, and its weight at 30 tonnes.
The herbivorous Futalognkosaurus lived approximately 87 million years ago in the Portezuelo Formation, in what is now Argentina, of the Coniacian stage of the late Cretaceous Period. The fish and fossilized leaf debris on the site, together with other dinosaur remains, suggest a warmer, even tropical climate in Patagonia during this period.
Classification[]
In their phylogenetic analysis, Calvo and colleagues found Futalognkosaurus to be a member of the Titanosauridae (or Lithostrotia, depending on the definitions being used), and most closely related to Mendozasaurus. They defined a new clade for the group containing both Futalognkosaurus and Mendozasaurus, their common ancestor, and all descendants, which they named the Lognkosauria. The authors found Malawisaurus to be the sister group of this new clade. Another, much later member of Lognkosauria is the colossal Puertasaurus, which may be the biggest dinosaur so far known. Besides Futalognkosaurus, other fauna was discovered in the Futalognko site, including two further undescribed sauropod taxa, specimens of Megaraptor, Unenlagia and some pleurodiran turtles.
This cladogram shows the results of an analysis by Calvo et al. in 2007, where they placed Futalognkosaurus within the group Titanosauria, more precisely the clade Lognkosauria:
| Titanosauria |
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References[]
- http://svpow.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/futalognkosaurus-was-one-big-ass-sauropod/
- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ruben-Valieri/publication/275889369_Re-sizing_giants_estimation_of_body_lenght_of_Futalognkosaurus_dukei_and_implications_for_giant_titanosaurian_sauropods/links/554a58df0cf21ed21358e36e/Re-sizing-giants-estimation-of-body-lenght-of-Futalognkosaurus-dukei-and-implications-for-giant-titanosaurian-sauropods.pdf
- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Juan-Porfiri/publication/6071132_A_new_Cretaceous_terrestrial_ecosystem_from_Gondwana_with_the_description_of_a_new_sauropod_dinosaur/links/0922b4f8177a4796ad000000/A-new-Cretaceous-terrestrial-ecosystem-from-Gondwana-with-the-description-of-a-new-sauropod-dinosaur.pdf
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4725985/
- http://www.gspauldino.com/Titanomass.pdf
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237289209_Anatomy_of_Futalognkosaurus_dukei_Calvo_Porfiri_Gonzalez_Riga_Kellner_2007_Dinosauria_Titanosauridae_from_the_Neuquen_Group_Late_Cretaceous_Patagonia_Argentina
In Popular Culture[]
- In the second season of a television show known as Dino Dan, a show in which a kid can see dinosaurs alive in the real world, one of the dinosaurs he can see is Futalognkosaurus.
- In a ROBLOX game, Dinosaur Simulator, Futalognkosaurus is a herbivore which can be purchased with a halloween event skin with the theme being a withered willow tree, though the dinosaur itself is rather old in terms of its model.
Gallery[]
