Patagotitan

Patagonian titan

• Patago- · Latinised (from Patagonia) · Patagonia, the region of southern Argentina
• titan · Greek · Titan, a giant of Greek mythology

The name combines "Patagonia", the region of southern Argentina where the fossils were found, with "Titan", the giant gods of Greek mythology. It refers to the huge size of this sauropod, one of the largest known land animals. The type species is Patagotitan mayorum, named after the Mayo family, who owned the ranch (Estancia La Flecha) where the bones were found.

Named by

Carballido et al.

Year named

2017

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stages

Cenomanian – Turonian

Found in

Cerro Barcino Formation, Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina

A titanosaurian sauropod. It is known from several individuals and is estimated to be among the largest known dinosaurs. Its exact age within the Cretaceous is only loosely constrained.