Tehuelchesaurus

Tehuelchesaurus is a genus of macronarian sauropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of Argentina. It is named in honor of the Tehuelche people, native to the Argentinian province of Chubut, where it was first found.

Description

It was a moderately large cetiosaur-like sauropod found in the Late Jurassic Cañadon Calcareo Formation at Fernandez Estancia, Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina; known from the holotype MPEF-PV 1125, a 50% complete skeleton, lacking a skull, but including dorsal, sacral and caudal vertebrae, parts of the forelimbs and hindlimbs, parts of the shoulder girdle and pelvis, some rib fragments, and skin impressions.
Tehuelchesaurus is most similar to Omeisaurus from the Middle Jurassic of China, but is distinguished by the shape of the coracoid, the stouter radius and ulna, and the shapes of the pubis and ischium; all the dorsal vertebrae have pseudopleurocoels and opisthocoelous centra, unlike in Barapasaurus and Patagosaurus. The length of the entire neck and tail are not known, but based on other proportions, Tehuelchesaurus was probably about long. It was named by Rich, Vickers-Rich, Gimenez, Cuneo, Puerta & Vacca in 1999. The type species is Tehuelchesaurus benitezii, named after Aldo Benitez, who discovered the holotype.