A gigantic new dinosaur from Argentina and the evolution of the sauropod hind foot

Scientific Reports
Bernardo J González RigaJuan P Coria

Abstract

Titanosauria is an exceptionally diverse, globally-distributed clade of sauropod dinosaurs that includes the largest known land animals. Knowledge of titanosaurian pedal structure is critical to understanding the stance and locomotion of these enormous herbivores and, by extension, gigantic terrestrial vertebrates as a whole. However, completely preserved pedes are extremely rare among Titanosauria, especially as regards the truly giant members of the group. Here we describe Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi gen. et sp. nov. from the Upper Cretaceous of Mendoza Province, Argentina. With a powerfully-constructed humerus 1.76 m in length, Notocolossus is one of the largest known dinosaurs. Furthermore, the complete pes of the new taxon exhibits a strikingly compact, homogeneous metatarsus--seemingly adapted for bearing extraordinary weight--and truncated unguals, morphologies that are otherwise unknown in Sauropoda. The pes underwent a near-progressive reduction in the number of phalanges along the line to derived titanosaurs, eventually resulting in the reduced hind foot of these sauropods.

References

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Feb 18, 2011·PloS One·Hussam ZaherDiógenes de Almeida Campos
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Citations

Oct 21, 2016·Scientific Reports·Stephen F PoropatDavid A Elliott
Jan 31, 2018·Nature Ecology & Evolution·Hesham M SallamMatthew C Lamanna
Aug 11, 2017·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·José L CarballidoJavier M Krause
Dec 10, 2019·Current Biology : CB·David J Button, Lindsay E Zanno
Aug 22, 2021·Scientific Reports·Fidel Torcida Fernández-BaldorD Castanera

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Software Mentioned

TNT Tree analysis
NONA
ZooBank

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