Aeolosaurus rionegrinus iːoʊ-loʊ-SƆːRUHS

You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Aeolosaurus 5 m (16.4 ft) long
as long as 3 people standing fingertip to fingertip
Length
5 m (16.4 ft)
Period
Late Cretaceous (83–66 Mya)
Place
South America · Argentina · Brazil
Food
Herbivore
Clade
Dinosauria The clade containing all dinosaurs, terrestrial archosaurs with upright limbs.
Aeolosaurus reconstruction by Ornithopsis
Reconstruction · Ornithopsis (CC-BY)

Aeolosaurus (; “Aeolus’ lizard”) is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now South America. Like most sauropods, it would have been a quadrupedal herbivore with a long neck and tail. Aeolosaurus is well known for a titanosaur, as it is represented by the remains of several individuals belonging to at least two species. However, like most titanosaurs, no remains of the skull are known. The holotype of Aeolosaurus rionegrinus consists of a series of seven tail vertebrae, as well as parts of both forelimbs and the right hindlimb. It was discovered in the Angostura Colorada Formation in Argentina, which dates from the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous, about 83 to 74 million years ago. The species A. maximus was transferred over to the new genus Arrudatitan in 2021.

What we know

  • Named by Powell, 1987.
  • Fossils found in South America and Argentina.

What we guess

The reconstruction notes for Aeolosaurus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.