South American Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs

Sauropodomorpha Huene 1932 is one of the most successful groups of dinosaurs, including the most abundant and diverse herbivorous forms with a worldwide record, extending from the late Triassic to the late Cretaceous. Sauropodomorphs comprise a diverse assemblage of early forms (traditionally called prosauropods) and the well-established clade Sauropoda Marsh 1878. Early sauropodomorphs were small to medium sized forms, with long necks and reduced skulls, mostly bipeds and omnivores and were abundant in continental environments in the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic. With more than 150 valid species and a worldwide distribution, Sauropoda includes the dominant herbivorous dinosaurs, from the Middle Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous. Its unique body plan, characterized by gigantic size, graviportal locomotion, long necks and tails, and reduced skulls, made this group an undisputed icon in popular culture since the 19 th century. In South America, the sauropodomorph record isparticularly rich and abundant, and many species have shed light to understand important milestones in the evolutionary history of this group of dinosaurs. The origin of Sauropodomorpha, the transition to Sauropoda, and the diversification of its most successful evolutionary lineages are largely exemplified by the South American fossil record. In this contribution, we synthetize the diversity of sauropodomorphs from South America, including data on their geographic and stratigraphic provenance, phylogenetics, paleobiology, taphonomy and behaviour, underscoring their significance within the context of sauropodomorph evolution.

Everything you need to know about South American sauropodomorphs in a single book More than 130 years of information in a single book Understanding giants from a South American perspective

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The early radiation of sauropodomorphs in the Carnian of South America.- Non-sauropodiform plateosaurians: between biped gracile and robust quadrupedal.- Non-gravisaurian Sauropodiformes of South America: early trends towards gigantism.- Gravisaurian sauropods from the late Early Jurassic from South America and the radiation of Eusauropoda.- Highly specialized diplodocoids: the Rebbachisauridae.- Whiplash tails and spiny backs in southwestern Gondwana: flagellicaudatans from South America.- The rise of non-titanosaur macronarians in South America.- Titanosauria: early diversification and systematics.- Time for giants: titanosaurs from the Aptian-Santonian age.- Last titans: titanosaurs from the Campanian-Maastrichtian age.- Eggs, nests and reproductive biology.- Body size evolution and locomotion in Sauropodomorpha: what the South American record tells us.- South American sauropodomorphs: what their bone histology has revealed to us?.- Sauropod ichnology: overview and new research lines from a South American perspective.- Taphonomy: overview and new perspectives related with the paleobiology of giants.