Not all dinosaurs were gigantic. The remains of one of the smallest known titanosaurs were discovered in Argentina, in the Colonia Formation of central Patagonia. It weighed “only” 5 to 10 tons, almost ten times less than the Patagonian titan, as long as an airplane, and weighing the weight of a dozen elephants, which lived more than a hundred million years ago . In general, titanosaurs are giant, but the “small” one that has just been exhumed, with a long neck and a long tail, measured only 6 meters. It is the first sauropod – a quadrupedal herbivorous dinosaur – discovered on this lagoon site. He was baptized Titanomachya gimenezi in reference to the titanomachy, an episode from Greek mythology recounting the struggle between the Titans and Zeus, and in honor of the paleontologist Olga Giménez.
A “puzzle style” reconstruction
The researchers dated the sediments to around the end of the Cretaceous period and reconstructed it “puzzle style”, from the bones of its front and rear limbs, fragments of ribs and a caudal vertebra. However, the causes of the small size of Titanomachya remain mysterious: was it the result of an adaptation to environmental constraints? This discovery should make it possible to better reconstruct the ecosystems at the time of the catastrophic impact of an asteroid which ended the Cretaceous period and the reign of the dinosaurs, approximately sixty-six million years ago.
We were unable to confirm your registration.
Your registration is confirmed.
