Antarctosaurus an-tɑːrktoʊ-SƆːRUHS
"southern lizard"
- Length
- 17 m (56 ft)
- Period
- Late Cretaceous (83 Mya)
- Place
- South America · Germany
- Food
- Herbivore
- Clade
- Dinosauria The clade containing all dinosaurs, terrestrial archosaurs with upright limbs.
Antarctosaurus (; meaning “southern lizard”) is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now South America. The type species, Antarctosaurus wichmannianus, and a second species, Antarctosaurus giganteus, were described by prolific German paleontologist Friedrich von Huene in 1929. Three additional species of Antarctosaurus have been named since then but later studies have considered them dubious or unlikely to pertain to the genus.
The type species, A. wichmannianus, is controversial because there is uncertainty as to whether all the described remains belong to the same individual or even genus. The second species, A. giganteus, is considered dubious, but the fragmentary remains represent one of the largest dinosaurs known.
What we know
- Named by von Huene, 1929.
- Body length estimated at about 17 m.
- Fossils found in South America and Germany.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Antarctosaurus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.