Name:
Gondwanatitan (Greek for "Gondwana giant"); pronounced gone-DWAN-ah-TIE-tan
Habitat:
Woodlands of South America
Historical Period:
Late Cretaceous (70-65 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 25 feet long; weight unknown
Diet:
Plants
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Relatively small size; advanced skeletal features
About Gondwanatitan:
Gondwanatitan is one of those dinosaurs that wasn't quite as big as its name implies: "Gondwana" was the huge southern continent that dominated the earth during the Cretaceous period, and "titan" is Greek for "giant." Put them together, though, and you have a relatively small titanosaur, only about 25 feet long (compared to lengths of 100 feet or more for other South American sauropods like Argentinosaurus and Futalognkosaurus).
Other than its modest size, Gondwanatitan is notable for certain anatomical features (especially involving its tail and tibia) that appear to be more "evolved" than those of other titanosaurs, especially the contemporary (and comparatively primitive) Epachthosaurus from South America.
