| Argyrosaurus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous |
|
|---|---|
| Argyrosaurus superbus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Superorder: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Sauropodomorpha |
| (unranked): | Titanosauria |
| Genus: | Argyrosaurus |
| Species: | A. superbus |
| Binomial name | |
| Argyrosaurus superbus Lydekker, 1893 |
|
Argyrosaurus ( /ˌɑrdʒɪrɵˈsɔrəs/ ar-ji-ro-sawr-əs) is a genus of herbivorous titanosaurid dinosaur that lived about 90 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now South America (Argentina and Uruguay). It was one of the largest dinosaurs, having a length of up to 20–30 metres and a weight estimated as high as eighty tonnes. It was an herbivore.
The type species, Argyrosaurus superbus, was formally described by Richard Lydekker in 1893.[1] The genus name means 'silver lizard' from Greek argyros, 'silver', and sauros, 'lizard', because it was discovered in Argentina, which literally means 'silver land'. The specific epithet means "proud" in Latin.
The genus was originally based mainly on a huge left forelimb, holotype MLP 77-V-29-1. Other material has since been referred to the species, including other forelimb elements, a shoulder blade, a pubis, several femora, and a few back and tail vertebrae.[2]
