🦕Dino Files Entry #3

I've been researching paleontology a lot recently, and decided it was finally time for me to create another Dino Files entry! So welcome back! Today, we are covering the Abditosaurus.

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Origin:

Abditosaurus means "forgotten lizard," which refers to the length of time it took for the species to finally get described. The bones were originally discovered in 1954, but Abditosaurus kuehnei wouldn't be described till 2017! It's important to note that this species had a nearly complete collection of neck vertebrae, which is uncommon for sauropods! Only 27 sauropod specimens with a complete and or nearly complete neck have been found. 

Classification and Morphology:

This titanosaurid was no small fry! It's estimated to be 57 feet long and weigh up to 15 tons. Abditosaurus is apart of the titanosauria clade and the saltasauridae family. Its size is so astonishing because, in island living, creatures tend to become smaller to cope with the small amount of land and resources.

Environment:

The only species was found in Spain and lived during the Cretaceous period, 70.5 million years ago. Spain was tropical at the time and would have had shallow sea beds as the continents drifted away from each other. 

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Ty for tuning into Dino Files!! Catch ya in the next one paleo pals!! 

-dirt