Ekrixinatosaurus
| Ekrixinatosaurus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 98Ma | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Abelisauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Carnotaurinae |
| Clade: | †Brachyrostra |
| Genus: | †Ekrixinatosaurus Calvo, Rubilar-Rogers & Moreno, 2004 |
| Species: | † E. novasi |
| Binomial name | |
| Ekrixinatosaurus novasi Calvo, Rubilar-Rogers & Moreno, 2004 | |
Ekrixinatosaurus ('explosion-born reptile') is a genus of dinosaur which lived during the Late Cretaceous. It was a theropod believed to be one of the abelisaurs. Its fossils have been found in Argentina. The type species, Ekrixinatosaurus novasi, was first described in 2004 by Argentinian paleontologist Jorge Calvo, and Chilean paleontologists David Rubilar-Rogers and Karen Moreno.[1] It was discovered in the Candeleros Formation, a geologic formation that outcrops in Río Negro, Neuquén, and Mendoza provinces of Argentina. The formation dates from 100-97 mya.[2]
Ekrixinatosaurus novasi is a large abelisaurid with a relatively large head and robust limbs, the only known specimen being between 7 to 8 m (23 to 26 ft) in length,[3] some suggested that this specimen actually represented the largest abelisaurid yet known at 10 to 11 m (33 to 36 ft) in length, surpassing the type of Carnotaurus,[4] however, it was later noted by other researchers that this estimate was based only on the absolute size of the skull, ignoring that limb bone comparisons clearly show Carnotaurus was larger, thus Carnotaurus was larger than Ekrixinatosaurus but with a proportionally smaller head.[5]
Paleocology
Ekrixinatosaurus shared it environment with several giant Titanosaurian sauropod Andesaurus and rebbachisaurid sauropods Limaysaurus and Nopcsaspondylus were probably the dominate herbivores in its region. Iguanodont ornithischian remains have reportedly been found there too. Carcharodontosaurid Giganotosaurus was possibly the apex predator. Smaller predators also inhabited the area. These included dromaeosaurid Buitreraptor, alvarezsaurid Alnashetri, and basal coelurosaurian Bicentenaria. The primitive snake Najash lived here as well, along with turtles, fish, frogs, and cladotherian mammals. Pterosaurs also lived in the area.[2]
References
- ↑ Jorge Calvo, David Rubilar-Rogers and Karen Moreno (2004). "A new Abelisauridae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from northwest Patagonia". Ameghiniana 41 (4): 555–563.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Leanza, H.A.; Apesteguia, S.; Novas, F.E. & de la Fuente, M.S. (2004): Cretaceous terrestrial beds from the Neuquén Basin (Argentina) and their tetrapod assemblages. Cretaceous Research 25(1): 61-87. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2003.10.005 (HTML abstract)
- ↑ Calvo, Jorge O.; Rubilar-Rogers, David; Moreno, Karen (2004). "A new Abelisauridae (Dinosauria: Theropoda)". Ameghiniana 41 (4).
- ↑ Juárez Valieri, R.D.; Porfiri, J.D.; and Calvo, J.O. (2011). "New information on Ekrixinatosaurus novasi Calvo et al. 2004, a giant and massively-constructed Abelisauroid from the "Middle Cretaceous" of Patagonia". In Calvo, González, Riga, Porfiri and Dos Santos (ed.). Paleontología y dinosarios desde América Latina (PDF). pp. 161–169.
- ↑ Novas, Fernando E.; Agnolín, Federico L.; Ezcurra, Martín D.; Porfiri, Juan; Canale, Juan I. (2013). "Evolution of the carnivorous dinosaurs during the Cretaceous: The evidence from Patagonia". Cretaceous Research 45. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2013.04.001.