Saltasaurus
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Saltasaurus 8.5 m (27.9 ft) long
as long as 5 people standing fingertip to fingertip
- Length
- 8.5 m (27.9 ft)
- Period
- Late Cretaceous (70–68 Mya)
- Place
- Argentina
- Food
- Herbivore
- Clade
- Saltasauridae
Saltasaurus (which means “lizard from Salta”) is a genus of saltasaurid dinosaur of the Late Cretaceous period of Argentina. Small among sauropods, though still heavy by the standards of modern creatures, Saltasaurus was characterized by a short neck and stubby limbs. It was the first genus of sauropod known to possess armour of bony plates embedded in its skin. Such small bony plates, called osteoderms, have since been found on other titanosaurians.
What we know
- Named by Bonaparte & Powell, 1980.
- Body length estimated at about 8.5 m.
- Fossils found in Argentina.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Saltasaurus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.