Genus
Valid Extinct

Mendozasaurus

González-Riga 2003
Etymology Reptile (de la province) de Mendoza

Mendozasaurus is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur. It was a member of Titanosauria, which were massive sauropods that were common on the southern landmasses during the Cretaceous. It is represented by several partial skeletons from a single locality within the Coniacian Sierra Barrosa Formation in the south of Mendoza Province, northern Neuquén Basin, Argentina. The type species, Mendozasaurus neguyelap, was described by Argentine paleontologist Bernardo Javier González Riga in 2003. Mendozasaurus is the first dinosaur named from Mendoza Province, Argentina, for which it was named.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
1
Group
Dinosaures
Herbivore Ground dwelling, gregarious Terrestrial
Mendozasaurus
click to enlarge
Skeletal composite of the chilean titanosaur Atacamatitan chilensis. A fragmented sauropod known from the holotype SGO-PV-961, found in the Atacama Desert. The preserved elements consist of:[1] Right femur, the proximal end of a humerus, two dorsal vertebrae, posterior caudal vertebrae, dorsal ribs and a possibly fragmentary element of the sternum, other fragmented caudal vertebrae and indeterminate bones.[1] Due to the fragmented nature of the holotype, most cladistic analyzes exclude Atacamatitan. Nevertheless, in 2012, Rubilar-Rogers and Gutstein conducted a preliminary cladistic analysis which placed Atacamatitan within the Lithostrotia.[2] The original description lacks a lateral view for the humerus and femur, the lateral view for the humerus was based on Alamosaurus and Opisthocoelicaudia, since it shows resemblance with them. The lateral view of the femur is based on Mendozasaurus for the same reason. Color Key   Known   Unknown © PaleoNeolitic · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia
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Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
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Saurischia Unranked clade
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Sauropodomorpha Unranked clade
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Massopoda Unranked clade
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Sauropodiformes Unranked clade
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Sauropoda Unranked clade
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Gravisauria Unranked clade
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Eusauropoda Unranked clade
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Neosauropoda Unranked clade
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Macronaria Unranked clade
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Titanosauriformes Unranked clade
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Somphospondyli Unranked clade
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Titanosauria Unranked clade
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Colossosauria Unranked clade
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Lognkosauria Unranked clade
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Mendozasaurus Genus
Measurements
Length
24,7 m ⓘ
Mendozasaurus neguyelap 
Mass
28 000 kg ⓘ
Mendozasaurus neguyelap 
Fossil sites 1 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇦🇷 Argentina
1
Geological formations
Sierra Barrosa
1
Temporal distribution
Coniacian (89.8–85.7 Ma)
1
Species (1)
Mendozasaurus neguyelap 90 Ma
Images 2
Bibliography
Original description
B. J. González-Riga. 2003. A new titanosaur (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mendoza Province, Argentina. Ameghiniana 40(2):155-172
Bibliography (1)
B. J. González-Riga. 2003. A new titanosaur (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mendoza Province, Argentina. Ameghiniana 40(2):155-172