Antarctosaurus

Antarctosaurus was a massive titanosaur sauropod that inhabited what is now South America during the Late Cretaceous period. The genus is somewhat problematic as several different species from different geological times and regions have been assigned to it over the decades. The type species is known from partial remains including a fragmented skull, limb bones, and pelvis found in Argentina. Estimates of its size vary dramatically depending on which fossils are referenced, with adult individuals likely stretching between eighteen and thirty metres in length. Like other titanosaurs, it possessed pillar-like limbs, an elongated neck, and a relatively broad body. As an herbivore, it relied on simple teeth to strip foliage from high canopy branches or undergrowth. Further fossil discoveries are needed to clarify its exact evolutionary relationships.

Despite its name, it was found in South America, named for being opposite to the northern hemisphere rather than Antarctica.

Where and when

Antarctosaurus lived in the Late Cretaceous, from 86.3 to 83.6 million years ago (Santonian age). Its remains come from Argentina, in the Anacleto Formation.

The numbers

Length 24 m (estimates run from 18 to 30 m). Mass about 28 t. Hip height about 4.5 m. That is 14.1 human-lengths, or 2.14 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from fragmentary remains; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, first ma, last ma, hip height.

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