Sarmientosaurus

Sarmiento lizard

• Sarmiento · Spanish (place name) · the town of Sarmiento in Chubut Province, Argentina, near where the fossil was found
• sauros · Greek · lizard

Sarmientosaurus means "Sarmiento lizard". It is named after the town of Sarmiento in Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina, close to where the fossil was discovered, combined with the Greek word for lizard. The only known species is Sarmientosaurus musacchioi, whose species name honours Argentine paleontologist Eduardo Musacchio.

Named by

Martínez et al.

Year named

2016

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stages

Cenomanian – Turonian

Found in

Lower Member of the Bajo Barreal Formation, Chubut Province, Argentina

A titanosaurian sauropod known from a remarkably well-preserved skull and partial neck. CT scans of the braincase suggested it may have held its head pointing downward and had relatively good vision and a keen sense of smell.