Agustinia

Agustinia was once thought to have bony armor plates on its back, like a stegosaurus. But later scientists showed those 'plates' were actually broken rib and hip bones.1

The only known Agustinia skeleton was discovered in 1997 by a student named Agustin Martinelli, who was part of a museum expedition.1

Agustinia's lower leg bone (fibula) is about 89.5 centimetres (35.2 inches) long. That helped scientists guess the whole dinosaur was about 15 metres (49 feet) long.1

Agustinia lived alongside other sauropods like Comahuesaurus and Ligabuesaurus in the same area of Argentina.1

Scientists have argued about where Agustinia belongs on the dinosaur family tree. Some say it is a rebbachisaurid, a type of diplodocoid sauropod, while others think it might be a titanosaur.1

Because the fossils are so broken and few, some researchers have called Agustinia a 'nomen dubium' (doubtful name). But a 2022 study found enough unique features in its back bones to keep it as a valid genus.1