Chubutisaurus

Chubutisaurus was a massive sauropod dinosaur that roamed Patagonia during the late Early Cretaceous. Named by Argentine palaeontologist Guillermo del Corro in 1975, its skeletal remains were unearthed in the Cerro Barcino Formation of Chubut Province. It is classified as a basal somphospondylian, occupying an important evolutionary position near the base of the lineage that gave rise to colossal titanosaurs. In life, Chubutisaurus was heavily built with sturdy limbs, reaching lengths between eighteen and twenty-three metres. The local ecosystem was semi-arid with braided rivers, and Chubutisaurus shared this environment with apex predatory carcharodontosaurids like Tyrannotitan. Its anatomy provides key insights into how macronarian sauropods diversified in the southern continents.

It was one of the earliest Cretaceous sauropods described from the fossil-rich Chubut Province of Patagonia.

Where and when

Chubutisaurus lived in the Early Cretaceous, from 113 to 100.5 million years ago (Albian age). Its remains come from Argentina, in the Cerro Barcino Formation.

The numbers

Length 21 m (estimates run from 18 to 23 m). Mass about 19 t. Hip height about 4.5 m. That is 12.1 human-lengths, or 1.83 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from partial skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, first ma, last ma, hip height.

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