The Smallest Titanosaurs Unveiled in Argentina’s Patagonia
The project aims to bridge the gap in humanity’s knowledge of the final 15 million years of the Cretaceous Period, focusing on the dinosaurs and vertebrates that thrived in Argentina’s Patagonia during this critical period.
Discovery of Titanomachya Gimenezi
Palaeontologists in Argentina have unveiled a new species of Titanosaur named Titanomachya gimenezi from the late Cretaceous Epoch, a period between 66 to 145 million years ago. The discovery took place in the Chubut province of Patagonian Argentina, with fossils found among forelimbs, hindlimbs, and fragments of ribs and vertebrae.
“The morphology of the talus – the bone responsible for distributing the force coming from the tibia on the inside of the foot – was never seen before in other titanosaurs and shows intermediate traits between the Colossosauria and Saltasauroidea lineages, highlighting its evolutionary importance,” stated first author Agustín Pérez Moreno from CONICET and Museo de La Plata.
Size of the New Titanosaur Species
The Titanomachya gimenezi was 10 times smaller than its largest titanosaur relative, weighing just about seven tonnes and standing at 6 feet tall, similar to the size of a cow. This discovery sheds light on the diversity of dinosaur species during the late Cretaceous period.
The Project and Its Significance
The discovery is part of an effort between the National Geographic Society and over 10 museums and universities in Argentina, including the Museo de La Plata. The project aims to enhance our understanding of the dinosaurs and vertebrates that thrived in Patagonia during the late Cretaceous period.
“The discovery of Titanomachya adds to previous data suggesting there was a major ecological change as the Cretaceous was coming to an end, marked by the downsizing of titanosaurs and the predominance of other herbivorous dinosaurs on the landscape,” said National Geographic Explorer Diego Pol.
