Ampelosaurus
Skeletal reconstruction of Ampelosaurus atacis
- Ampelosaurus atacis
Ampelosaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the group of Titanosauria. Fossils of this genus are from the Late Cretaceous (early Maastrichtian ) of France. The only known species is Ampelosaurus atacis.
Features
Ampelosaurus was like all sauropods an herbivore with a long neck and tail and reached an estimated length of about 15 meters. Like various other Titanosaurier wore Ampelosaurus in the skin embedded bone ( osteoderms ) that get in this genus in the form of plates, bumps and spines and are between 25 and 28 centimeters long. So far, only four such osteoderms were discovered Ampelosaurus can be attributed. Since Titanosaurier osteoderms are always found in very few, some researchers suspect that Titanosaurier generally wore only a few osteoderms and that the body of the animals thus too many unprotected areas had than that the osteoderms an effective defense against predators might constitute as before was often assumed.
From other titanosaurs can this genus differ by the vertebral arches and spinous processes of the vertebrae, which were directed obliquely backwards - at an angle of almost 45 ° from the vertical.
System
The relationships of this genus within the Titanosauria are controversial. Within the Titanosauria this genus is, however, classified usually within the Lithostrotia ( = Titanosauridae ), which comprises all derived (modern) Titanosauria.
Fund and classification
The first skeleton was discovered in a vineyard near Campagne- sur -Aude in the Aude department in southern France. These bones were excavated in 1989 along with hundreds of other reptiles bone in twelve months field work. Involved in the excavations were paleontologists at the Musée des Dinosaures in Esperaza, the CNRS and the Muséum d' Histoire Naturelle in Boulogne -sur -Mer. The rock unit of the discovery site is called Bellevue layer and part of the lower - Marnes Rouges- formation, which is known for its numerous dinosaur finds. These deposits are fluvial ( transported by a river and deposited ) sediments. Further, discovered along with the Titanosaurier bone vertebrate fossils include scales of the fish Lepisosteus, tanks fragments of a turtle, fragmentary remains of a crocodile from the group Eusuchia and numerous bones of the ornithopod Rhabdodon priscus with a.
The holotype consists of three vertebrae in anatomical composite; total close the finds most of the skeleton except the skull with a. The fossils are now housed in the Musée de Dinosaurs of Esperaza. In the same region were discovered in the sequence also pieces of the skull and jaw, so that large parts of Ampelosaurus are known today.
Ampelosaurus in 1995 first described scientifically by the French paleontologist Jean Le Loeuff. The genus name is Ampelosaurus ancient Greek for " vineyard - lizard" and alludes to the locality, the vineyard Blanquette de Limoux in Languedoc (France ) to. So far, only one type is known Ampelosaurus atacis, named after the Latin name of the river Aude.