Episode 266 is all about Futalognkosaurus, one of the most complete titanosaurs ever found.

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In this episode, we discuss:

Best of 2019:

Best New Site (228): Tanis Site source

Best New Tyrannosaur (233): Suskityrannus source

Gnarliest Pathologies (244): Tenontosaurus source

Best New Sauropod (220): Bajadasaurus source

Best Early Dinosaur Discovery (261): Gnathovorax source

Honorable Mention – Best Early Dinosaur (242): Notatesseraeraptor source

Best Gut Contents (245): Microraptor source

Best Amber Find (247): Elektornis source

Best Biomechanics Study: (251) How Raptors Used Their Claws source

Best Hadrosaur (252): Kamuysaurus source

Best Paleoart: (252) Brian Engh’s Dinosaur Thermoregulation in Infra-Red source

Best Video Short (219): Sharp Teeth source

Best Video (221): My Pet Dinosaur on BBC source

Honorable Mention – Best Video (253): Jurassic World: Battle at Big Rock source

Best Dinosaur Thought (252): Sauropods Squishing Turtles source

Our Favorite Episode (250): Sabrina Ricci’s Hardcore Bone Wars source

The dinosaur of the day: Futalognkosaurus

Titanosaur sauropod that lived in the Late Cretaceous in what is now Argentina (Neuquén province, Portezuelo Formation)

Originally estimated to be 105-112 ft (32-34 m) long, but in 2008 estimated to be 85 ft (26 m) long; Gregory Paul estimated it was at most 98 ft (30 m) long (though hard to say, since most of the tail wasn’t found)

Estimated length with tail based on proportions of other titanosaurs, though paleontologists need more fossils to get a better idea of its actual length

Comparable in size to Puertasaurus and Argentinosaurus (one paper says it was about 15 to 25 percent smaller)

Estimated to weigh between 38 and 50 tons

Had a strong, large neck, which shows more diversity in titanosaurs

Neck had 14 vertebrae, and had tall neural spines with a “shark-fin” shape

Had large, bulky hips that were almost 10 ft (3 m) wide

Type species: Futalognkosaurus dukei

Genus name means “giant chief lizard”

Genus name comes from Mapuche language (futa means giant and lognko means chief)

Species name is in honor of the Duke Energey Argentina Company, which sponsored the dig in 2002-2003

Fossils found in 2000, collected between 2002 and 2005, and described in 2007 by Jorge Calvo and others

Futalognkosaurus was named based on three specimens (skeleton was about 70% complete), and was described at the time by the team as “the most complete giant dinosaur known so far”

Holotype included a complete neck, dorsal vertebrae, ribs, pelvis, and one caudal vertebra (tail)

Fossils are housed at the CePaLB-Universidad del Comahue, Neuquén, Argentina

Herbivorous

Probably lived in a warm tropical climate, based on fossilized fish and leaves found near the dinosaur bones

Also found more angiosperms than gymnosperms in the area, which may mean Futalognkosaurus ate lots of angiosperms

Other animals found in the same time and place include pterosaurs, fish, crocodylomorphs, sauropods, theropods, ornithopods, (many of the dinosaurs not yet formally described), as well as more specifically, Megaraptor and Unenlagia

Fun Fact: There were about 47 new dinosaurs published this year, nearly one for every week.

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