[71] This same matrix and basis of characters was further utilized and expanded for analyses on Tehuelchesaurus, Comahuesaurus and related rebbachisaurs, Europasaurus, and Padillasaurus, before being expanded upon once again in 2017 by Carballido et al. [18], Titanosaurs one of the few groups of dinosaurs for which fossil eggs are known. Trying to raise my child when 2 gigas roll up. This Titanosaurus also came from Argentina in its Southern part of Patagonia and had lived 77 million years ago. Titanosaur necks were of average length for sauropods, and their tails were whip-like though not as long as in the diplodocids. The new genus Epachthosaurus was named for a more basal titanosaurid classified as Titanosauridae indet. Evidence of it was originally discovered in 1987, when a fossil the size of a fully grown human being was unearthed on a ranch in Argentina. Wilson & Upchurch (2003) presented a reduced cladogram of Titanosauria, including only the most commonly-analyzed taxa from previous studies, resulting in a tree similar to that of Wilson (2002) but with Rapetosaurus and Nemegtosaurus excluded and Epachthosaurus included. Tyrannosaurs would likely avoid titanosaurs completely at a certain size threshold. [70], Also following the 2002 analysis of Wilson, Jos Carballido and colleagues published a redescription of Chubutisaurus in 2011, and utilized an updated Wilson matrix, expanded to 289 characters across 41 taxa, including 15 titanosaurs. [36] Several other arrangements have been proposed, such as a single row along the midline, and it is possible that different species had different arrangements. The group's name alludes to the mythological Titans of ancient Greek mythology, via the type genus (now considered a nomen dubium) Titanosaurus. [29][34][35]:55 Sebastin Apestegua, in 2005, argued the structures seen in Argentinosaurus, which he termed hyposphenal bars, are indeed thickened laminae that could have been derived from the original hyposphene and had the same function. [44] While the original analysis didn't focus on titanosaurs, it was utilised during the descriptions of Savannasaurus and Diamantinasaurus, Yongjinglong, an osteology of Mendozasaurus, and redescribing Tendaguria. While the pelvis was slimmer than some sauropods, the pectoral (chest) area was much wider, giving them a uniquely "wide-legged" stance. Titanosauridae was less strongly defined because of the polytomy between Malawisaurus and Epachthosaurus, so some diagnostic features couldn't be resolved. Unique to Mannion et al., continuous characters were distinguished in a run of the matrix, which resolved almost all of Somphospondyli within Titanosauria because of Andesaurus placing very basal in a large group of Andesauroidea. [10] Later that year, estimates by Bonaparte and Coria suggesting a hind limb length of 4.5 metres (15ft), a trunk length (hip to shoulder) of 7 metres (23ft), and an overall body length of 30 metres (98ft) were published. Supersaurus, Argentinosaurus, and Diplodocus were the largest creatures to ever walk the Earth, stretching more than 100 feet from their pencil-like teeth to their sinuous tails. All three genera were resolved in a clade together, although Curry-Rogers & Forster noted that it was possible the group was only resolved because no other titanosaurs had comparable cranial material. While several other titanosaurs relied on their sheer size to dissuade predators from attacking them, an analysis of a collection of incomplete fossil skeletons of Saltasaurus suggests that the species employed a different defensive strategy. A type known as the Patagotitan weighed in at 77 tons, while the Argentinosaurus reached 110 tons and up to 40 meters (131 feet) in length. Additional specimens include a complete femur (thigh bone) and the shaft of another. [41], In 2004, Upchurch and colleagues introduced a new group called Lithostrotia that included the more derived (evolved) members of Titanosauria. Today the elephant holds the title, but if we reach back into history, we can find even larger creatures. [43][6][46][47][35][44] The relationships of species within Titanosauria remain largely unresolved, and it is considered one of the most poorly-understood areas of dinosaur classification. in 2019 for a redescription of Jiangshanosaurus and Dongyangosaurus, and additional revisions of Ruyangosaurus were made. Aside from the Argentinosaurus, there were still other Titanosaurus that were larger in weight and height. [33], Titanosaurs have a poor fossil record of their pedes (feet), only being complete in five definitive titanosaurs. John P. Rafferty writes about Earth processes and the environment. [39] In 2002, Davide Pisani and colleagues recovered Argentinosaurus as a member of Titanosauria, and again found it to be in a clade with Opisthocoelicaudia and an unnamed taxon, in addition to Lirainosaurus. However, they may have played an important role in nutrient storage for titanosaurs living in highly seasonal climates and for female titanosaurs laying eggs. Titanosaurs were widespread. Malawisaurus nested with Andesaurus in a clade of the basalmost titanosaurs outside Titanosauroidea, where Lirainosaurus, instead of being the basal member of the saltasaur-branch was instead basalmost titanosauroid. [1], Separating fossils from the very hard rock in which the bones were encased required the use of pneumatic hammers. The material between them represented almost all regions of the skeleton, which showed they were derived sauropods Huene interpreted as closest to Pleurocoelus of the various non-titanosaurid genera. Lithostrotia (Upchurch et al. [62], Following the clade definitions proposed in previous Salgado studies, Bernardo Gonzlez-Riga published two papers in 2003 describing new taxa in Titanosauria: Mendozasaurus, and Rinconsaurus (with Jorge O. Calvo). In both studies, the new taxa formed clades within Titanosauridae, although neither were named, and new diagnostic features were proposed for the family. [17] Only five titanosaur specimens preserve complete, articulated hind feet. It was a member of Titanosauria, the dominant group of sauropods during the Cretaceous. Sadly, these lumbering leviathans died out at the end of the Cretaceous. 63 sauropods were included, focusing on non-titanosaurian sauropods, although 14 probable titanosaurs were included. (1999), as all taxa in Somphospondyli closer to Saltasaurus than Euhelopus. Rinconsauria included taxa typically found within Aeolosaurini as well, so Aeolosaurini was redefined as Aeolosaurus rionegrinus plus Gondwanatitan to preserve the original restricted content, otherwise the entire rinconsaur-lognkosaur branch would be classified within Aeolosaurini. The formal description was published in 1993 by Bonaparte and the Argentine palaeontologist Rodolfo Coria, with the naming of a new genus and species, Argentinosaurus huinculensis. The dig revealed one of the most-complete titanosaur skeletons discovered thus far. When it comes to the size of the Titanosaurus vs blue whale, there can be two different measures for comparison. The osteoderms were certainly far more sparse than those of ankylosaurs, and did not completely cover the back in scutes. [13][23][7] In 2017, Carballido and colleagues considered Argentinosaurus to be smaller than Patagotitan, since the latter had a greater area enclosed by the neural spine, diapophyses, and parapophyses of its anterior dorsal vertebrae. The species was first described in 1980, and it is considered small compared with other titanosaur species, measuring only 12.2 to 12.8 meters (about 40 to 42 feet) long and weighing slightly under 7 metric tons (about 7.7 tons). [29][30] In both the dorsal and sacral vertebrae, very large cavities measuring 4 to 6 centimetres (1.6 to 2.4in) were present. Next most inclusive, Salgado revitalised Titanosauridae to include everything descended from the ancestor of Epachthosaurus and Saltasaurus, and to replace the node-stem triplet of Saltasauridae, defined the clades Epachthosaurinae and Eutitanosauria as Epachthosaurus>Saltasaurus and Saltasaurus