Argyrosaurus

*Argyrosaurus superbus*

**Argyrosaurus** (meaning 'Silver lizard', because it was discovered in Argentina, which is sometimes known as 'Silver land' (Greek *argyros* meaning 'silver' and *sauros* meaning 'lizard') was a genus of herbivorous titanosaurid dinosaur that lived about 70 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now South America (Argentina and Uruguay). It was one of the largest dinosaurs, having a height of 8 meters, a length of up to 20-30 meters and a weight of up to 80 tons. It was an herbivore.

The type species, *A. superbus*, was formally described by Richard Lydekker in 1893, but is based solely on a huge forelimb.

## Description

The genus name means "silver lizard" from the Greek argyros , "silver", and sauros , "lizard", it was already discovered in Argentina, which literally means "silver land". The specific epithet means "pride" in Latin.

Few scattered fossil remains have been found in the Bajo Barreal Formation, the Laguna Palacio Formation and the Castillo de Chubut Formation in Argentina and in the Asencio Formation in Uruguay. It was described in 1893 by the English paleontologist Richard Lydekker from a complete forelimb found by Carlos Ameghino in the Chico River in Chubut, from the red guaranite sandstones of the Musters Lake region. In 1978, a commission from the University Nacional de Tucumán found new remains on the banks of the Senguerr River, south of Colonia Sarmiento, province of Santa Cruz. These materials, along with others extracted in the same place by the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences, were studied by Powell in 1986. An earlier member that appears to belong to this genus and a probable nest have also been found in the province of Entre Ríos.

The genus is based mainly on a huge left forelimb, holotype MLP 77-V-29-1. Other material has been reported since then, including other forelimbs, a scapula, a pubis, several femurs, and a few vertebrae and tail.

Argyrosaurus is considered a titanosaur, although its classification within this group is not clear due to the fragmentary nature of its remains. The main difference is the relative robustness when compared to other titanosaurs such as Saltasaurus and Laplatasaurus. Although it is suggested that it may have been related to the alamosaur. In 2012 it was placed in the family Argyrosauridae along with the Egyptian genus Paralititan.

## JPInstitute.com Description

Argyrosaurus might have been the biggest dinosaur ever, but not enough fossil bone has yet been found to know for sure.

It was among the last of the giant titanosaurs, dying out in the great extinction at the end of the Cretaceous. Argyrosaurus's upper leg bone of was over 6 feet (2 m) long! Unfortunately, not much more of this dinosaur has been found.

First described in 1893, Argyrosaurus was unquestionably a huge titanosaur. Although other material has been found that may belong to this genus, no definitive association has yet been made.

## Links

https://web.archive.org/web/20031006002741fw\_/http://www.jpinstitute.com/dinopedia/dinocards/dc\_argyr.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20080723142025/http://kids.yahoo.com/dinosaurs/395--Argyrosaurus