Pitekunsaurus

Pitekunsaurus is known from a single fossil that includes parts of the skull, teeth, neck bones, back bones, tail bones, and arm bones.2

Its name comes from the Mapudungun word "pitekun," which means "to discover."1

The fossil was found by oil company explorer Luis Macaya in April 2004, and the species name honors him.12

Pitekunsaurus lived during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous, between about 83 and 72 million years ago.3

Scientists think Pitekunsaurus was a type of titanosaur, a group of sauropods that included some of the largest land animals ever.1

The tail bones of Pitekunsaurus show two different types of joints, which suggests its tail was very flexible.2