Rayososaurus

• South America ( Patagonia)

• Rayososaurus agrionensis

Rayososaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of South America. There were fossils of an individual secure in the Rayoso formation of the Apt - stage in the Argentinean Patagonia and described in 1995 by José Fernando Bonaparte scientifically. The type species is Rayososaurus agrionensis. Calvo and Salgado (1996 ) regarded as a nomen dubium Rayososaurus, so as invalid genus.

Fossil Rayososaurus is merely covered with a scapula, a thigh bone and a portion of the fibula. An adult specimen reached an estimated length of 6 meters and a weight of 6 tons. The shape of the scapula has Rayososaurus than Rebbachisauriden and thus as sauropods. The plan of this group he had accordingly a small head and a long neck and tail. He was like all sauropods an herbivore and moved away quadruped, that is on four legs.

Found in Africa, fossils of Rebbachisaurus are almost identical to those of Rayososaurus. This is interpreted as evidence for the existence of a land bridge between Africa and South America during the Cretaceous. One of the two species then evolved allopatric from the other when they immigrated into a new land mass.