Abditosaurus
Abditosaurus was a huge, long-necked plant-eater that lived on an ancient island in what is now Spain. It was the biggest titanosaur on that island, much larger than its dwarf relatives. Its name means 'forgotten lizard' because its bones were hidden for 60 years before scientists finally studied them.1
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Fun facts
Abditosaurus is the most complete titanosaur skeleton ever found in Europe.1
Its neck was nearly complete, with 12 of its 14 neck vertebrae preserved. Complete sauropod necks are very rare.1
It lived on the Ibero-Armorican Island, which was made up of what is now Spain, Portugal, and southern France.1
Abditosaurus was about 17.5 metres (57 feet) long and weighed about 14 tonnes (15 short tons).1
Its bones were first discovered in 1954 by German paleontologist Walter Georg Kühne, but they were not fully dug up until decades later.1
Abditosaurus is closely related to titanosaurs from South America and Africa, not to the dwarf titanosaurs that lived on the same island.1
Most asked questions about Abditosaurus
?How big was Abditosaurus?
About 17.5 metres (57 feet) long and weighed around 14 tonnes (15 short tons).1
?What did Abditosaurus eat?
It was a plant-eater, like all sauropods.1
?When did Abditosaurus live?
It lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 70.5 million years ago.1
?Why is it called Abditosaurus?
Its name means 'forgotten lizard' because its bones were hidden for 60 years before scientists studied them.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Abditosaurus
- Named by
- Vila et al. 20222
- Group
- Long-necks
- Family / clade
- Saltasauridae2
- Classification
- Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Titanosauria > Macronaria2
- Age of the rocks
- 72 to 66 million years (Maastrichtian)2
- Rock formations
- Conques2
- Countries
- Spain2
- Fossil records
- 2 in the Paleobiology Database2
- Discovery
- German paleontologist Walter Georg Kühne discovered the first bones on September 25, 1954, while looking for fossil mammals in Catalonia, Spain. The species was named Abditosaurus kuehnei in 2022 by Vila and colleagues, honoring Kühne.1
Where the facts come from
- Abditosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Abditosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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