Amazonsaurus
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Amazonsaurus maranhensis |
Amazonsaurus maranhensis, is a diplodocoid dinosaur that hails from the Lower Cretaceous Itapecuru Formation beds located in Maranhão State, Northern Brazil. The remains were described by Carvalho et al. in mid-2003, consisting of assorted dorsal and caudal vertebrae, ribs and a fragment of pelvic girdle, that were found on sediments deposited at an estuarine setting. The etymology of the generic name and specific epithet refer both to the location of the fossil find, respectively, in the Amazon Legal Region and in Maranhão State. Amazonsaurus is a small sauropod with a characteristic arrangement of bony processes in the vertebrae found. This find is congruent with the existence of concomitant Northern African and South American dinosaur faunas.
References
Ismar de Souza Carvalho, Leonardo dos Santos Avilla, Leonardo Salgado. (2003). Amazonsaurus maranhensis gen. et sp. nov. (Sauropoda, Diplodocoidea) from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian–Albian) of Brazil. Cretaceous Research 24. 697–713