- Futalognkosaurus
Taxobox|
name = "Futalognkosaurus"
fossil_range =Late Cretaceous
image_width = 260px
image_caption = Artist's restoration of "Futalognkosaurus"
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
superordo =Dinosaur ia
ordo =Saurischia
subordo =Sauropodomorpha
unranked_familia =Titanosauria
genus = "Futalognkosaurus"
genus_authority = Calvo, Porfiri, González-Riga, & Kellner, 2007
subdivision_ranks =Species
subdivision ="F. dukei" Calvo "et al.", 2007 (type)"Futalognkosaurus" (meaning "giant chief lizard") is a
genus oftitanosaur iandinosaur . Its fossils were found in the Neuquén province ofArgentina in 2000, and were scientifically described in 2007. The genus name is derived from the local indigenous languageMapudungun and is pronounced foo-ta-long-koh-sohr-us: "futa" means "giant" and "lognko" means "chief".Calvo, J.O., Porfiri, J.D., González-Riga, B.J., and Kellner, A.W. (2007) "A new Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystem from Gondwana with the description of a new sauropod dinosaur". "Anais Academia Brasileira Ciencia", 79(3): 529-41. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17768539] ] Thetype species , "Futalognkosaurus dukei", is estimated to be between 32 and 34meter s (105-111 ft) in length. It is based on three fossil specimens, yielding an estimated 70% of the skeleton in total. The fossil team described the find as "the most complete giant dinosaur known so far". The herbivorouscite news | last = Pellim | first = Roberto | title = Nieuwe dinosoort | work = Metro | pages = 7 | language = Dutch | date =2007-10-19 | accessdate = 2007-10-19] "Futalognkosaurus" lived approximately 87 million years ago in theConiacian stage of the lateCretaceous Period . The fish and leaf fossilised debris on the site, together with other dinosaur remains, suggest a tropical climate inPatagonia during this period.In their phylogenetic analysis, Calvo and colleagues found "Futalognkosaurus" to be a member of the
Titanosauridae (orLithostrotia , depending on the definitions being used), and most closely related to "Mendozasaurus ". They defined a newclade for the group containing both "Futalognkosaurus" and "Mendozasaurus", their common ancestor, and all descendants, which they named theLognkosauria . The authors found "Malawisaurus " to be the sister group of this new clade. Besides "Futalognkosaurus" otherfauna was discovered in the Futalognko site, including two further undescribed sauropod taxa, specimens of "Megaraptor ", "Unenlagia " and somepleurodira nturtles .The alternate early spelling "Futalongkosaurus" may be found in some press reports and on websites.
References
External links
* [http://dml.cmnh.org/2004Aug/msg00291.html Dinosaur Mailing List entry which discusses the genus]
* [http://www.proyectodino.com.ar Fósiles hallados en el Centro Paleontológico Lago Barreales] - contains images of "Futalognkosaurus" languageicon|Spanish
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7046223.stm BBC Report] of Monday,15 October 2007 - includes a photo of some of the dinosaur's bones, attributed toNational Museum of Brazil .
* [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iGJds4L0q44m7IWynfx7Mgr0NXeAD8S9TC9G0 Computer generated image] - Associated Press article,15 October 2007
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