Agustinia
Agustinia was a long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur that lived about 116 to 108 million years ago. It walked on four legs and had a very long tail and neck. Only a few bones of this dinosaur have been found, so scientists are still learning about it.1
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Fun facts
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
Most asked questions about Agustinia
?How big was Agustinia?
Agustinia may have been about 15 metres (49 feet) long, based on comparing its lower leg bone to related dinosaurs. That is just an estimate because only a few bones are known.1
?What did Agustinia eat?
Agustinia was a plant-eating dinosaur, so it ate plants. It lived on land in what is now Argentina.2
?Did Agustinia have armor plates?
Scientists first thought Agustinia had armor plates on its back, but later studies showed those 'plates' were actually broken rib and hip bones. So it probably did not have armor.1
?When did Agustinia live?
Agustinia lived about 116 to 108 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous Period.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Agustinia had spiky armor plates running down its back.
Truth: The supposed armor plates are actually fragments of ribs and hip bones, not true osteoderms.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Agustinia
- Named by
- Bonaparte 19992
- Group
- Long-necks
- Family / clade
- Rebbachisauridae2
- Classification
- Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Diplodocoidea2
- Age of the rocks
- 113 to 100 million years (Albian)2
- Rock formations
- Lohan Cura2
- Countries
- Argentina2
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database2
- Discovery
- The only Agustinia skeleton was found in 1997 by student Agustin Martinelli during a museum expedition near Picún Leufú, Argentina. It was named by paleontologist Jose Bonaparte in 1999.1
- Still debated
- Scientists still debate whether Agustinia was a rebbachisaurid (a type of diplodocoid) or a titanosaur, because its bones are so fragmentary.1
Where the facts come from
- Agustinia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Agustinia in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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