Maxakalisaurus

Maxakalisaurus is an osteoderm-bearing titanosaur discovered in Minas Gerais, Brazil, named in honour of the indigenous Maxakali people. Dating from the Late Cretaceous Adamantina Formation, it is known from partial skeletal remains that include elements of the skull, neck, trunk, limbs, and an osteoderm plate. Reaching approximately thirteen metres in length and roughly nine tonnes, it was a moderate-sized browser. Maxakalisaurus belonged to the aeolosaur radiation, a prominent lineage of South American sauropods characterized by anteriorly inclined vertebral joints that suggest a flexible, active tail posture.

Fossils preserve an osteoderm, proving this South American titanosaur had dermal bony armour.

Where and when

Maxakalisaurus lived in the Late Cretaceous, from 83.6 to 70.6 million years ago (Campanian age). Its remains come from Brazil, in the Adamantina Formation.

The numbers

Length 14 m (estimates run from 13 to 14 m). Mass about 9.4 t. Hip height about 3.2 m. That is 7.9 human-lengths, or 1.21 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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