Saltasaurus

Salta lizard

• Salta · Spanish (place name) · Salta Province, Argentina, where the fossils were found
• sauros · Greek · lizard

Saltasaurus means "Salta lizard", named after Salta Province in northwestern Argentina where its fossils were discovered. It was a small sauropod notable for having bony armor (osteoderms) embedded in its skin, which was unusual for a sauropod.

Named by

Bonaparte and Powell

Year named

1980

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stages

Campanian – Maastrichtian

Found in

Lecho Formation, Salta Province, Argentina

A titanosaurian sauropod; the type species is Saltasaurus loricatus. It gives its name to the family Saltasauridae. Its age is generally given as Campanian to Maastrichtian.