artwork by paleo-artist cisiopurple
The Garrigatitan is a genus of titanosaurian dinosaur from the late Cretaceous Period of the Grès à Reptiles Formation in France.
The genus contains a single species, Garrigatitan meridionalis. The subadult length is estimated to be 4 to 6 metres (13 to 20 feet), while the adult length is estimated at around 12 to 16 metres (39 to 52 feet). [1]
Description[]
The genus name meaning is "garrigue giant", referring to a type of Mediterranean vegetation characterized by drought-resistant shrubs.The genus discovery happened between 2009 and 2012, excavations were carried out at Velaux-La Bastide Neuve by the Palaios Association and the University of Poitiers. During the excavations, the holotype of Garrigatitan was discovered and remains of Atsinganosaurus velauciensis were also present.
In 2020, the type species Garrigatitan meridionalis was named and described by Verónica Díez Díaz, Géraldine Garcia, Xabier Pereda Suberbiola, Benjamin Jentgen-Ceschino, Koen Stein, Pascal Godefroit and Xavier Valentin. The holotype, MMS / VBN.09.17, was found in a layer of sandstone of the Begudian, the second level of the second series, dating back to the late Campanian. It consists of a sacrum belonging to an immature individual. In addition, a number of other fossils have been assigned to the species as well. [2]