Dinosaur Collector Site BGondwanaland:

 

 

South America in the

Middle to Late Cretaceous

From The Dinosaur Collector

Aptian period, South American dinosaurs have been poorly known. Part of Gondwanaland, Giganotosaurs and carchardontosaurs fill the top predator slots in South America. Abelisaurs are the medium to smallish predators and titanosaur sauropods are the medium and large herbivore roles.   Diplodocids are now rare in the fossil record. There are possible spinosaurids from Brazil. Iguanodonts are small small herbivores.

update 9/13/08


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Aptian-Albian period, South American dinosaurs have been poorly known. Part of Gondwanaland, Giganotosaurs and carchardontosaurs fill the top predator slots in South America. Abelisaurs are the medium to smallish predators and titanosaur sauropods are the medium and large herbivore roles.   Diplodocids are now rare in the fossil record. There are very large sauropods such as Chubutisaurus, large and bizarre abelisaurids (Carnotaurus), and possible spinosaurids from Brazil.

Tyco Apatosaurus from the Dino Rider series. King Kong giant theropod and Chap Mei Dino Quest Carnotaurus.

A selection of articulated action figures. Tyco Apatosaurus from the Dino Rider series. King Kong giant theropod and Chap Mei Dino Quest Carnotaurus.

 

 

The skull of Carnotaurus is unusual for its deep shape and the horns just above the eyes. If the shape has not been distorted during fossilization then the skull was highly mobile and could gape widely to swallow large objects.

Bullyland Carnotaurus Saltasaurus from Famemaster

Bullyland Carnotaurus from the Disney series and Saltasaurus from Famemaster.

Saltasaurus, the best known titanosaur, was the first armored sauropod discovered with hundreds of bony studs on its back and sides. It had a flexible tail and may have reared up on its back legs to reach leaves in tall trees. Its broad back, and strong, broad upper tail bones may have enabled the tail to be used as a prop at times. It also had a few bony plates for protection on its back. Carnotaurus had 4 fingers on arms shorter than Tyrannosaurus and that did not bend.  We know what the skin looked like from a fossil impressions.  Its skin was covered with 4-5 cm (2 in) diameter bumps in rows about 8-10 cm (4 in) apart, becoming larger towards the spine. Each bump was surrounded by 5mm (1/5 in) tubercles. Aucasaurus is similar to Carnotaurus but with a longer skull, lower snout and prominence rather than horns, longer arms, and is 30% smaller overall. Traces of soft tissue are also preserved around its pelvic region. It was found in the same area in which titanosaurid embryos were found.

Carnotaurus from Schleich and the Carnegie Safari Saltasaurus

Carnotaurus from Schleich and the Carnegie Safari Saltasaurus

The Cenomanian-Santonian period is best known from the deposits around Neuquen in Patagonia, from where large titanosaurids (Argentinosaurus, Antarctosaurus and Argyrosaurus), small to medium basal iguanodonts Gasparinisaura, Loncosaurus) and ornithopods have been recovered, together with several theropods (Velocisaurus, Giganotosaurus) and birds (alvarezsaurids, enantiornithines, Patagopteryx). One of the largest theropods, Giganotosaurus may even be slightly larger than Tyrannosaurus. It had a low skull, reduced shoulder girdle and robust vertebrae and hind limbs. It occurred some 30 million years earlier than Tyrannosaurus.

 

Carnegie Safari Giganotosaurus.Giganotosaurs

The mega predator Giganotosaurus (Giant Southern Reptile) one of the largest predators is ( 6 - 8 ) tons and 43 feet long.   A family group of four or five Giganotosaurus fossils of different sizes in the Patagonian plains of Argentina. have been found.  Two of the specimens are very large, the others are smaller.  The speculation is that it represents a family group. Longer but lighter than Tyrannosaurus with a smaller brain Giganotosaurus starts in the mid Cretaceous but disappears before the end of the Cretaceous.

Giganotosaurus resaurus   Tedco Giganotosaurus
Above Giganotosaurus by Reasaurus.  This figure has 12 points of articulation.  Resaurus is gone but Toyway of England and Toysmith are still selling the Resaurus line.   Dino Horizon Panorama series from Cog Ltd, includes 4 dinosaurs. It appears they confused the T rex with Giganotosaurus. The 3 fingered figure labeled Tyrannosaurus looks like an Allosaurus. While the figure labeled Tyrannosaurus has only 2 claws.

Giganotosaurus(Giant southern lizard) is most recently classed in the same family as Allosaurus being more closely related to Acrocanthosaurus and Carchardontosaurs. It must have preyed on the large titanosaurs that dominated Gondwanaland. Giant titanosaur Argentinosaurus know from back bone and rib fragments.

Argentinosaurus from Learning Curve Dinosaur Train custom repaint by Ashley Hoover and Giganotosaurus from Yujin.

Argentinosaurus from Learning Curve Dinosaur Train custom repaint by Ashley Hoover and Giganotosaurus from Yujin.

Titanosaurs are the best known sauropods ranging from the medium sized Saltasaurus to gigantic Argentinosaurus. Some or all the titanosaurs may have had armor.  Diplodocids are also present. Sauropods show a wide adaptive radiation filling the small plant eating niches evolving armor, dental batteries perhaps even keratinous beaks. Argentinosaurus only a partial skeleton has been found but it is thought to be a member of the titanosaur family. Argentinosaurus is the largest dinosaur of any type that has ever been found estimated to be 123 feet long and weighed over 100 tons.

Custom Wai Fong figure PHOTO AND ART WORK BY....Fred R Hinojosa.

Finally, from the very end of the Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) there is evidence of smaller and more derived
titanosaurids (Saltasaurus, Titanosaurus), well developed abelisaurids (Abelisaurus, Noasaurus) and
immigration of North American hadrosaurids, ceratopsians and ankylosaurs.It actually looks like Gondwanaland fauna was expanding into North America and Europe when the extinction event closed out the Mesozoic.  Argentina in particular has been producing a lot of new dinosaur finds. These have been over shadowed by the spectacular finds in Asia in the public news. Saltasaurus (Salta reptile) was 39 feet long and from the Late Cretaceous Campanian - Maastrichtian. It was the first armored sauropod found.  It is named after Salta in Argentina where it was first found.

Schleich and Carnegie Safari Saltasaurus .

 

South American dinosaurs have only a limited selection in the toy market. the medium size Carnotaurus is best known because of the Disney Dinosaur movie. The medium size sauropods Amargasosaurus and Saltasaurus have been produced by several lines probably because of their distinctive look. Giganotosaurus has become the rival of Tyrannosaurus for the title of biggest carnivore and well known to the public. Dinosaur Planet and Chased by Monsters had a selection of potential figures abelisaurs, carchardontosaurs and titianosaurs for future releases.


Back to the Mesozoic

Spinosaurs

Early Cretaceous South America
Campanian Masstrictian

 

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