Puertasaurus

Puerta's lizard

• Puerta · Surname (Spanish) · Pablo Puerta, a person involved in the fossil's discovery and recovery
• sauros · Greek · lizard

Puertasaurus combines the surname of Pablo Puerta, who was involved in the discovery and recovery of the fossil, with the Greek word for "lizard". It was named for a very large titanosaurian sauropod known from a few huge vertebrae. The type species is Puertasaurus reuili.

Named by

Novas et al.

Year named

2005

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Maastrichtian

Found in

Pari Aike Formation, Santa Cruz Province, Patagonia, Argentina

A titanosaurian sauropod known from fragmentary remains (mainly vertebrae), but its vertebrae suggest it was one of the largest dinosaurs. The exact age of the Pari Aike Formation is debated, and the stage given here is approximate. Details of the honoree's role are given with moderate confidence.