Atacamatitan
- Antofagasta, Chile ( Tolar Formation)
- Atacama titanium chilensis
Atacama Titan is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the group of Titanosauria. So far, a single, very fragmentary skeleton is only known that was found in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile and is dated to the Late Cretaceous. Like all sauropods had a great Atacama titanium, quadrupeder ( four-footed ) herbivore with a long neck and tail. This genus was described in 2011 with the single species, Atacama titanium chilensis, by researchers led by Alexander Kellner first time scientifically.
Features
The front legs were stronger built than the hind legs. Thus, the femur was having a length of 1.1 m and a shank thickness of only 12.5 cm (measured at half the height of the bone) built relatively gracile. Nevertheless, the humerus was longer than that of many others, derived ( advanced ) Titanosaurier as Saltasaurus. The thickness of the femoral shaft takes in Atacama titanium from uniform, unlike other members of the Titanosauria in which the shank thickness varies only slightly.
The vertebrae were significantly opisthocoel (on the front convex and concave at the rear ), while lacking Hyposphen - Hypantrum connections, as with many other representatives of the Titanosauria. From other members of the vertebrae distinguished by the lateral cavities ( Pleurocoele ) of the vertebral body, the rounded and were shorter and did not come to a head forward, and strongly concave with a bottom of the vertebral body. The caudal vertebrae were against procoel (on the front and concave at the rear convex), with Pleurocoele missing. In contrast to related genera, the caudal vertebrae showed a laterally flattened spinous process with a blade-shaped front edge.
System
The exact relationships of this genus are unknown. However, there appears Atacama Titan neither a particularly basal (original ), still to have been a particularly derived ( advanced ) Titanosaurier. Thus, this species was basal as the representatives of the Saltasauridae, but derived as Malawisaurus. At the same time, a membership be excluded to the Aeolosaurini.
Importance, found and discovery
Vertebrate fossils from Chile are relatively rare. Atacama Titan provides the most complete to date discovery of a dinosaur from the Antofagasta Region and one of the most completely preserved Titanosaurierfunde from Chile dar. The finding comes from the layers of the Tolar Formation, whose age was unknown. Atacama titanium shows that this formation can be dated to the Late Cretaceous, and not to the Paleocene, which previously could not be excluded.
The Fund ( holotype, specimen number SGO - PV -961 ) consists of a right thigh bone (femur), the lower end of the upper arm bone (humerus ), vertebrae ( two vertebrae and the anterior caudal vertebrae), ribs, a fragment of the breastbone ( sternum ) and other, unidentifiable fragments. These fossils were excavated in an area of 2 square meters. They are very hard reddish in color and due to strong Permineralisation. Today they are in the collection of the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural in Santiago de Chile. The site is located near the town of Conchi Viejo in the Chilean region of Antofagasta.
The site was discovered in February 2000 during a joint expedition of Brazilian and Chilean scientists who were aware of the surface exposed femur first. However, the skeleton was recovered only during a second expedition in July of the following year. Was scientifically described the discovery in 2011 by researchers at the Brazilian paleontologist Alexander Kellner. The name Atacama titanium chilensis refers to the locality and has the Atacama Desert as well as Chile. The ending- titanium, which is used for numerous Titanosaurier, has the Titans of Greek mythology.
Documents
Used literature
- Alexander Kellner, David Rubilar - Rogers, Alexander Vargas, Mario Suárez: A new titanosaur sauropod from the Atacama Desert, Chile. In: Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências. 83, No. 1, 2011 ISSN 0001-3765, pp. 211-219, doi: 10.1590/S0001-37652011000100011 (PDF).