Amargasaurus cazaui

Amargasaurus cazaui (La amarga)

Kingdom- Animelia
Phylum- Chordata
Class- Sauropsida
Superorder- Dinosauria
Order- Saurischia
Suborder- Sauropodomorpha
Clade-Sauropod
Superfamily- Diplodocioidea
Family Dicraeosauridae
Genus: Amargasaurus

Diet: Herbivore

Height: 10-14 feet

Length: 36-40 feet

Weight: 5-9 tons

Time of Habitation: Early Cretaceous period 132-127million years ago

Place of Habitation: South America

The Amargasaurus was found in Argentina in 1984, it was then named in 1991 by Salgado and Bonaparte. The Amargasaurus is built like most Sauropods with one major anatomical difference, it had two rows of extended vertebrate along it's back. These vertebrate probably formed a sail possibly even a double sail. This sail could have had numerous uses, some believe the sail may have been to deter predators from attacking it's long neck which would explain why the vertebrate are longest along the middle of the neck. The sail may have been a thermal regulator meaning that when Amargasaurus needed to heat up it could turn sideways to the sun and increase it's body temperature. If the Amargasaurus need to cool down it could shade it's sail and decrease it's body temperature. The sail may have been for attracting mates and for displays among males. If the sail was used for attracting mates then the males would have had a larger sail.

The Amargasaurus is known from an almost complete specimen that even had all of it's vertebrate! The skeleton does lack the frontal half of the skull as well as a majority of the tail. The skull is broad like that of modern day horses. Amargasaurus was extremely small for a sauropod. This small size indicates a life of grazing on the lower foliage of forest. There is debate as to whether or not it could rear up on it's hind legs like it's larger relatives. The Amargasaurus had teeth that specialized in chewing and grinding up tuff plants. It is thought that the Amargasaurus traveled in herds. I find this sailed sauropod extremely fascinating, I hope you enjoyed reading about it!