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Saltasaurus
Saltasaurus (which means "lizard from Salta") is a genus of saltasauriddinosaur of the Late Cretaceousperiod 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.
José BonaparteJosé Fernando Bonaparte (14 June 1928–18 February 2020) was an Argentine paleontologist who discovered a plethora of South American dinosaurs and mentored a new generation of Argentine paleontologists. He has been described by paleontologist Peter Dodson as "almost singlehandedly...responsible for Argentina becoming the sixth country in the world in kinds of dinosaurs."
Armour (zoology)Armor or armour in animals is a rigid cuticle or exoskeleton that provides exterior protection against attack by predators, formed as part of the body (rather than the behavioural utilization of external objects for protection) usually through the thickening and hardening of superficial tissues, outgrowths or skinsecretions.
TitanosauriaExtinct clade of dinosaursTitanosaurs (or titanosaurians; members of the group Titanosauria) were a diverse group of sauropod dinosaurs, including genera from every continent. The titanosaurs were the last surviving group of long-necked sauropods, with taxa still thriving at the time of the extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous.
Salta ProvinceSalta (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsalta]) is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán, and Catamarca. It also surrounds Jujuy. To the north, it borders Bolivia and Paraguay, and to the west lies Chile.
AlamosaurusAlamosaurus (; meaning "Ojo Alamo lizard") is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs containing a single known species, Alamosaurus sanjuanensis, from the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous period in what is now southwestern North America.
Type speciesA type species (species typica) is the species considered to be permanently taxonomically associated with the name of a genus or subgenus, and that is used to identify it and distinguish it from others. In modern times, it is normally assigned when the genus or subgenus is first named. Any taxonomic revisions must be done in such a way that the genus or subgenus retains the type species if the genus is to keep its name.
CretaceousThird and last period of the Mesozoic EraSubdivision of the Cretaceous according to the ICS, as of 2024.Vertical axis scale: Millions of years agoEtymologyName formalityFormalUsage informationCelestial bodyEarthRegional usageGlobal (ICS)Time scale(s) usedICS Time ScaleDefinitionChronological unitPeriodStratigraphic unitSystemTime span formalityFormalLower boundary definitionNot formally definedLower boundary definition candidatesMagnetic—base of Chron M18rBase of Calpionellid zone BFAD of AmmoniteBerriasella jacobiLower boundary GSSP candidate section(s)NoneUpper boundary definitionIridium-enriched layer associated with a major meteorite impact and subsequent K-Pg extinction eventUpper boundary GSSPEl Kef Section, El Kef, Tunisia36°09′13″N8°38′55″E / 36.1537°N 8.6486°E / 36.1537; 8.6486Upper GSSP ratified1991The Cretaceous (IPA: ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 Ma (million years ago).
DinosaurClade of reptilesBirds are avian dinosaurs, and phylogenetictaxonomy includes over 11,000 extant species in the group Dinosauria.Dinosaurs are a diverse group of warmblooded reptiles of the cladeDinosauria. They existed through most of the Mesozoicera, first appearing early in the Triassicperiod.
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the far south of South America. It covers an area of 2,780,085 km2 (1,073,397 mi2), making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourth-largest country in the Americas, and the eighth-largest country in the world.
SaltaSalta (Spanish: [ˈsalta]) is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 627,704 according to the 2022 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina.
GenusGenus (; pl.: genera) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus. E.g. Panthera leo (lion) and Panthera onca (jaguar) are two species within the genus Panthera.
SaltasauridaeSaltasauridae (named after the Salta region of Argentina where they were first found) is a family of armored herbivorous sauropods from the Upper Cretaceous. They are known from fossils found in South America, Africa, Asia, North America, and Europe. They are characterized by their vertebrae and feet, which are similar to those of Saltasaurus, the first of the group to be discovered and the source of the name.
OsteodermOsteoderms are bony deposits forming scales, plates, or other structures based in the dermis. Osteoderms are found in many groups of extant and extinctreptiles and amphibians, including lizards, crocodilians, frogs, temnospondyls (extinct amphibians), various groups of dinosaurs (most notably ankylosaurs and stegosaurians), phytosaurs, aetosaurs, placodonts, and hupehsuchians (marine reptiles with possible ichthyosaur affinities).
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