Gondwanatitan (meaning "giant from Gondwana") is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod from Brazil, named after the southern supercontinent Gondwana. It lived during the temporal range, Late Cretaceous 70 million years ago.
Etymology[]
The type species, Gondwanatitan faustoi, is a patronym honoring Dr. Fausto L. de Souza Cunha, a curator whom led the evacuation of the sauropod.
Description[]
Gondwanatitan was a sauropod small compared to other big sauropods like Argentinosaurus, seven meters long in length and 1 tonne in weight, even though its name says it's 'titanic'. What made it light-weighted, is its relatively gracile limb bones. It also had heart-shaped middle caudal vertebrae, additionally, like with Aeolosaurus, these vertebrae have been interpreted as giving Gondwanatitan the ability to rear up on its hind legs so that it could reach even further into the tree canopy to feed.
Classification[]
G. faustoi is a part of the clade Aeolosauridae, a clade of titanosaurs known from the Cretaceous period of Argentina. It is also related to Pitekunsaurus, Aeolosaurus, and Overosaurus.
Provenance[]
G. faustoi was found in strata of the Adamantina Formation, in southeastern Brazil. Other material assigned to this sauropod has also been found in the Cambabe Formation.
In popular culture[]
- Gondwanatitan is shown in Dinosaur King.
Gallery[]
