Abelisaurus comahuensis

Discovered by: Roberto Abel, former Director of the Cipolletti Provincial Museum, Río Negro Province.
Studied by: José F. Bonaparte, and F. E. Novas in 1985.
Period: Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian (75 million years)
Length: 6.5 meters.
Weight: 1.5 tons
Location: Allen Formation, Pellegrini Lake, Río Negro Province.
Exhibition: Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia" (Argentinean Museum Natural Sciences), Buenos Aires City.

Elements found:
1- Skull (1), 85 cm. long, 35 cm. high, and 40cm. wide.

Main characteristics: Abelisaurus Comahuensis, means "Abel del Comahue reptile". Its skull has several characteristics which are very similar to the Carnotaurus sastrei ones. There is no doubt that they belonged to the same family the Abelisauridae. They represent two different types. The connection with the Theropods from Laurasia (North America, Europe, and Asia) suggest that the Ceratosaurus of the Late Jurassic from North America was a member of the old group.
It is probable that the Theropods and the Ceratosaurus had a pangeic distribution, and those that lived in the southern continents evolved towards the endemic Theropods Abelisauria, that include the Abelisauridae and Noasauridae. They grouped the big carnivorous Theropods recorded in South America during the Cretaceous.

Internet:
dinosauricon.com/genera/abelisaurus.html
www.dinodata.net/Dd/Namelist/TABA/A003.htm
www.intelradio.com.ar/dinosaurios/abelisaurus.htm

Aeolosaurus rionegrinus (Titanosauridae)

Studied by: Powel, 1988
Period: Late Cretaceous
Length: 15 meters
Location: Los Alamitos Formation, Río Negro Province.

Elements found (1 specimen):
1- Vertebras prior caudal (7)
2- Femur part (1)
3- Right tibia (1)
4- Fibula (1)
5- Astragalus
6- Several articulated caudal vertebras (15)
7- Several fragments

Main characteristics: They were herbivorous, they belonged to the Titanosauridae family. Their size was medium to big. This group is also integrated by the Titanosaurus Araukanicus, (Powel, 1986) and Acolosaurus Rionegrinus, (Powel, 1986 ). The German paleontologist F. Von Huene (1929) suggested the Laplatasaurus araukanicus species, he was based on an incomplete specimen belonging to the Allen Formation. Powel, in 1986,regarded that it was a material of the Titanosaurus species, suggesting the name Titanosaurus Araukanicus.

Internet:
dinosauricon.com/genera/aeolosaurus.html
www.dinodata.net/Dd/Namelist/TABA/A031.htm
www.tyrrellmuseum.com/expeditions/argentina98/dino.html

Amargasaurus cazaui

Discovered by: Guillermo W. Rougier in1984.
Period: Early Cretaceous (130 million years)
Length: 9 meters
Location: La Amarga, Neuquén Province.
Exhibition: Egidio Feruglio Museum, Trelew, Chubut Province, and at the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia" (Argentinean Museum Natural Sciences), Buenos Aires City.

Main characteristics: It was a Sauropod Dicreaosarido, it had peculiar neural bifurcated spikes from the cervical vertebras coming out of its neck. They were surely a good defense against the predator's attacks.

Internet:
dinosauricon.com/genera/amargasaurus.html
www.dinodata.net/Dd/Namelist/TABA/A096.htm
www.dinopark.org/amargasaurus.htm

Foto de José F Bonaparte

Andesaurus delgadoi

Discovered by: Alejandro Delgado
Studied by: José Bonaparte and Calvo in 1991.
Period: Early Cretaceous (Albiano) and, Late Cretaceous (Cenomaniano), 105 million years.
Length: 15 meters long and 8 meters high.
Location: Río Limay Formation, Neuquén Province.
Exhibition: Geology and Paleontology Museum of the Comahue Nacional University, Neuquén City, Neuquén Province.

Elements found (1 holotype specimen):
1- Complete dorsal vertebras.
2- Caudal vertebras (27). They are articulated ones, belonging to the caudal central part of the tail.
3- Isquions (2)
4- Pubis
5- Humerus
6- Femurs
7- Several ribs

Main characteristics:

Foto de José F Bonaparte

This specimen was found near the levels that contain a lot of dinosaurs footprints (Calvo, 1991) where the iguanodonts´footprints are the more abundant. The Iguanodonts footprints´haven´t been registered in more recent levels in our continent. Bonaparte and Calvo (1991) recognized that the Andesaurus belonged to an environment were probably the dominant specimen were the iguanodonts. In such a case, the Titanosaurus prevalence in nearer associations, within the Cretaceous would have happened after the Iguanodont's extinction.

Internet:
www.dinodata.net/Dd/Namelist/TABA/A129.htm
www.intelradio.com.ar/dinosaurios/pocainformacion4.htm
dinosauricon.com/genera/andesaurus.html

Argentinosaurus huinculensis

Discovered by: Bonaparte and Salgado in 1991.
Period: Late Cretaceous (95 million years)
Length: 40 meters
Weight: 80 to 100 tons.
Location: Near Plaza Huincul, Neuquén Province
Exhibition: Carmen Funes Museum, Plaza Huincul, Neuquén province.

Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales	© Argentina On View Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales

Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales

Main characteristics: They were the biggest sauropods of the Cretaceous from South America. They were the biggest animals of all the times. Their vertebras were articulated ones, they had a complex structure. The dorsal vertebras were the biggest ones ever found. One of them is 1.35 meters wide, and 1.65 meters high. A femur, coming from the same levels, but to a certain distance of the holotype´s remains is 2.50 meters long.

Internet:
dinosauricon.com/genera/argentinosaurus.html
www.rionegro.com.ar/arch200107/s22s17.html
www.dinodata.net/Dd/Namelist/TABA/A175.htm

Carnotauro sastrei

Discovered by: A member of the Sastre family in 1983.
Studied by: José Bonaparte in 1985.
Period: Early Cretaceous (120 million years) and Late Cretaceous (70 to 100 million years)
Length: 7.5 meters
Weight: 1 ton.
Location: Bajada Moreno, Pampa de Gastre, Chubut Province.
Exhibition: Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia" (Argentinean Museum of Natural Sciences) in Buenos Aires City, and at the Egidio Feruglio Museum, Trelew, Chubut Province.

Main characteristics: It was an spectacular Gondwanic theropod, with short skull, and two thick frontal horns, its limbs were very small and the back ones were very long. It seems to have been a quick runner. Some footprints were also found.

Internet:
dinosauricon.com/genera/carnotaurus.html
www.dinodata.net/Dd/Namelist/Tabc/C046.htm
www.intelradio.com.ar/dinosaurios/carnotauro.htm

Chubutisaurus insignis

Discovered by: Guillermo del Corro and Orlando A. Gutiérrez. They were members of a commission of the Museo Argentina de Ciencias Naturales (Argentinean Museum of Natural Sciences), Buenos Aires, 1965.
Studied by: Guillermo del Corro, McIntosh (1990), Salgado (1992), Bonaparte and Coria (1993)
Period: Early Cretaceous (110 million years)
Length: 23 meters
Location: Cerro Barcino Formation and at the Paso de los Indios District, Chubut Province.
Exhibition: Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia (Argentinean Museum of Natural Sciences), Buenos Aires City.

Elements found:
1- Dorsal vertebra (1)
2- Incomplete dorsal neural arch (1)
3- Caudal vertebras (10)
4- Left femur (1) 1.69 meters long.
5- Tibia (1)
6- Humerus (1)
7- Radio (1)
8- Ulna (1)
9- Metacarpus (4)
10- Several Fragments

Main characteristics: It is probable that it represents an adaptation group, due to the diversity of sauropods registered in South America along the Cretaceous. They had long front limbs, without belonging to the so-called" Giraffe type", which was present in Brachiosaurus of the Late Jurassic from Africa and North America. However, Salgado, (1992) has demonstrated that the characteristics of the Chubutisaurus´s neural arch are very different from those of the Brachiosaurus, and that they are much more similar to the Titanosaurian ones.

Internet:
www.dinodata.net/Dd/Namelist/Tabc/C118.htm
dinosauricon.com/genera/chubutisaurus.html
dinodex.8m.com/chubutisaurus.html

Delatorrichnus goyenechei

Studied by: Dr. Rodolfo Casamiquela, (Argentinean paleontologist) in 1964
Period: Late Jurassic (150 million years)
Location: Laguna Manantiales Ranch, Macizo del Deseado, Santa Cruz Province.
Length: 0.8 meters
Weight: 2 Kg.

Elements found: 2 right footprints and a left one.

Main Characteristics: They were very small dinosaurs. They had typical back limbs. They were theropods with a very special kind of feet, they had only two fingers almost parallel one to the other. The footprint would be about 10 or 12 cm. size. Their fore legs were peculiar ones. The quadruped conduction would be derivative. The distance between the prints indicates that their size was similar to the chicken one. Casamiquela regarded them as small and quick theropods, but nowadays they are considered as ornithopods.

Paleo-Environment: It is supposed that they lived in a marginal area without dunes, with dry seasons and rivers that overflowed during the rainy periods, allowing like that the appearance of the footprints. One of the adaptive characters that they developed was the one of a small stature.

Eoraptor lunensis

© Argentina On View Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales

Discovered by: Roberto Martínez, geologist, member of an expedition organized by the Natural Sciences Museum of San Juan National University and the Chicago University (USA) in 1991.
Studied by: Paul Sereno, Forster Rogers and Monetta in 1993.
Period: Late Triassic (215 million years)
Length: 1 meter
Location: Ischigualasto Formation (Valle de la Luna - Valley of the Moon) San Juan Province.
Exhibition: San Juan Natural Sciences Museum, San Juan Province.

Elements found (1 young specimen almost complete):
1- Skull (1)
2- Lower position jawbone (1)
3- Articulated spine
4- The four extremities
5- Tail (almost complete).

Main characteristics: Its name means "active primitive carnivorous". Its skull is from 12 to 13 cm. According to what was found, it can be said that it was different to the Herrerasaurus. The proportion of the great orbit, in connection with the skull length, is a good indicator that the Eoraptor's adults could be two or three times bigger. Probably they were a primitive species of the Herrerasauridae family, that had several different specimens at the beginning of the Late Triassic in South America.

Internet:
dinosauricon.com/genera/eoraptor.html
www.dinodata.net/Dd/Namelist/TABE/E040.htm
www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/eoraptor.html

Estegosaurio neuquino

Studied by: The paleontologist, Dr .José F. Bonaparte.
Period: Early Cretaceous (118 million years)
Location: La Amarga, Neuquén Province.

Elements found (1 specimen):
1- Back cervical vertebra (1) It is not complete, but it indicates its Estegosaurian belonging.
2- Isolated vertebras (2)
3- Osteoderns belonging to an Estegosaurio of the Kentrosaurus from Tanzania.

Main characteristics: The discovery of an Estegosaurio remains belonging to the Cretaceous is very surprising, but what is even more astonishing is that it was found in Argentina because there were only some isolated remains which were assigned by german Dr. Friederich von Huene to a tyreopod from Cinco Saltos, in Salta Province.
Its resemblance to Kentrosaurus of the Upper Jurassic from Tanzania, reminds us the connection between the Amargasaurus Cazaui and the Dicreosaurus from Tanzania too.
Paleo-Environment: It was a pluvial area, not very far from the sea. No plants remains were found there, but by the time, there were coniferous and primary angiosperms.

Internet:
dinosauricon.com/taxa/stegosauria.html

Giganotosaurus carolinii

Discovered by: Mr. Rubén Carolini, at El Chocón Dam, in 1995.
Studied by: Rodolfo Coria and Leonardo Salgado, paleontologists of the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia" Bernardino Rivadavia (Argentinean Museum of Natural Sciences), Buenos Aires City, 1995.
Period: Late Cretaceous (95 million years)
Length: 14 meters
Weight: from 6 to 8 tons.
Location: El Chocón, Neuquén Province.
Exhibition: El Chocón, Neuquén Province. There is a skull, and a rejoinder of natural size at the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia" (Argentinean Museum of Natural Sciences) in Buenos Aires City.

© Argentina On View Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales	Cráneo de T-Rex vs Giganotosaurus © Argentina On View Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales

Main characteristics: It was the biggest carnivorous dinosaur found along the whole planet. Why is it so important? Because for Paleontology, not only the size is important. First of all it is worthy to mention that there are only a few complete remains of carnivorous dinosaurs, but there are a lot of herbivorous ones. The discovery of fossil remains of carnivorous dinosaurs, is always causing international interest. With regard the Giganotosaurus Carolinii, the 70% of its skeleton was found. It was the only one from this species found in South America, and it was bigger than the Tyrannosaurus Rex, member of the theropods´family. Its femur, the biggest bone of its body, is 1.43 meters long, that is to say 5 cm. longer than the ones of the remains found in Dakota del Sur (USA) in 1905. The Giganotosaurus remains were heavier than the Tyrannosaurus Rex ones.
Probably, it fed of herbivorous, which bones were found in the same layer in the Patagonia territory. It seems to have been a terrible hunter, he attacked to its victims by biting them, though it is also supposed that it was a carrion animal too. One of its teeth (only a half) allows us to know that each one was about 15 cm.

Cráneo de Giganotosaurus © Argentina On View Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales	Cráneo de T-Rex © Argentina On View Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales

Internet:
www.chocon.com
www.acnatsci.org/gigapage/taletape.html
dinosauricon.com/genera/giganotosaurus.html
www.dinodata.net/Dd/Namelist/Tabg/G024.htm
www.acnatsci.org/gigapage/expert.html

Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis

Discovered by: Victorino Herrera (the guide of the expedition), in 1963.
Studied by: Dr. Osvaldo A. Reig, head of the expedition, of the team of the Tucumán National University, Argentina, 1963.
Period: Late Triassic (215 million years)
Length: 3.5 meters
Location: Ischigualasto (Valle de la Luna - Valley of the Moon) San Juan Province.
Exhibition: there is a complete specimen at the Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (Tucumán National University)

"Herrerasaurus", por el artista Jorge Blanco Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales	© Argentina On View Museo de Ciencias Naturales de La Plata

Main characteristics: It was a primitive saurian having medium size, its femur was 30 cm. long. It was one of the oldest dinosaurs that have been found along the world. Its skull was about 30 cm. long, its orbital area was very well developed, its neck was short and strong, very primitive sacrum that only has 3 vertebras. It is supposed that it was a very active animal, a good runner, and predator of rincosaurian and omnivorous cynodontes. It is supposed that they hunted in groups. The different specimens recollected seem to indicate that there was some kind of cooperation to hunt.

Internet:
www.intelradio.com.ar/dinosaurios/herrerasaurus.htm
dinosauricon.com/genera/herrerasaurus.html
www.dinodata.net/Dd/Namelist/Tabh/H030.htm
www.inhandmuseum.com/Dinosauria/Herrerasauria/Herrerasaurus.html