Maxakalisaurus is a genus of titanosaur dinosaur, found in the Adamantina Formation of Brazil, in the state of Minas Gerais in 1998. The genus name is derived from the tribe of the Maxakali; Topa is one of their divinities.[1]
| Maxakalisaurus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous
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| Reconstructed skeleton | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Sauropoda |
| Clade: | †Macronaria |
| Clade: | †Titanosauria |
| Clade: | †Lithostrotia |
| Genus: | †Maxakalisaurus Kellner et al., 2006 |
| Species: | †M. topai
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| Binomial name | |
| †Maxakalisaurus topai Kellner et al., 2006
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Discovery and naming edit
Over the course of four field seasons, from 1998 to 2002, the National Museum of Brazil excavated a partial skeleton of a titanosaur along the Campina Verde - Prata road, 45 km to the west of Prata, Minas Gerais. In 2006, a team led by Alexander W. A. Kellner described the remains as a new genus and species of sauropod, Maxakalisaurus topai. The genus name honors the Maxakali, an ethnic group indigenous to the region, and the species name refers to the Maxakali deity Topa.[1]
Fossil record edit
Fossils of Maxakalisaurus topai are known from the Adamantina Formation. The holotype, MN 5013-V, was housed at the National Museum of Brazil.[1][2] It included a fragmentary right maxilla with teeth, twelve cervical vertebrae and some cervical ribs, seven dorsal vertebrae and some dorsal ribs, a neural spine and centrum from the sacrum, six caudal vertebrae, some haemal arches, pieces of the scapulae, both sternal plates, part of the left ischium, both humeri, two metacarpals, part of the fibula, an osteoderm, and some unidentified pieces. Two other sternal plates and part of a third scapula were also found at the site, and are considered to belong to a second individual.[1] Some of the elements from the type locality pertained to an adult individual and others pertained to a subadult individual.[3] A partial dentary and some teeth were subsequently recovered from the type locality and are also considered to belong to M. topai.[4] Some elements of the holotype were lost in the National Museum of Brazil fire on 2 September 2018, but several elements survived the fire and were recovered.[3]
Description edit
Maxakalisaurus is considered a medium-sized titanosaur.[1][5] The type specimen of Maxakalisaurus belonged to an animal about 12.1 meters (40 feet) long, with an estimated weight of 5 tonnes (5.5 short tons).[1][6] It had a long neck and tail, ridged teeth (unusual among sauropods) and lived about 80 million years ago. Because sauropods seem to have lacked significant competition in South America, they evolved there with greater diversity and more unusual traits than elsewhere in the world. Like many other titanosaurs, Maxakalisaurus had osteoderms.[1]
Classification edit
França et al.'s 2016 description of the second specimen also included a phylogenetic analysis, which placed Maxakalisaurus as a basal member of the Aeolosaurini. Their cladogram is shown below:[4]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g Kellner, Alexander W. A.; Campos, Diogenes de Almeida; de Azevedo, Sergio A. K.; Trotta, Marcelo N. F.; Henriques, Diese D. R.; Craik, Maureen M. T.; Silva, Helder de Paula (2006-08-11). "On a new titanosaur sauropod from the Bauru Group, Late Cretaceous of Brazil". Boletim do Museum Nacional, Nova Série, Geologia. 74: 1–31. ISSN 0080-3200.
- ^ BBC (3 September 2018). "Brazil National Museum fire: Key treasures at risk". BBC News. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ a b Brum, Arthur S.; Bandeira, Kamila L.N.; Sayão, Juliana M.; Campos, Diogenes A.; Kellner, Alexander W.A. (2022-04-01). "Microstructure of axial bones of lithostrotian titanosaurs (Neosauropoda: Sauropodomorpha) shows extended fast-growing phase". Cretaceous Research: 105220. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105220. ISSN 0195-6671.
- ^ a b França, M.A.G.; Marsola, J.C.d A.; Riff, D.; Hsiou, A.S.; Langer, M.C. (2016). "New lower jaw and teeth referred to Maxakalisaurus topai (Titanosauria: Aeolosaurini) and their implications for the phylogeny of titanosaurid sauropods". PeerJ. 4: e2054. doi:10.7717/peerj.2054. PMC 4906671. PMID 27330853.
- ^ González Riga, Bernardo J.; Casal, Gabriel A.; Fiorillo, Anthony R.; Ortiz David, Leonardo D. (2022). "Taphonomy: Overview and New Perspectives Related to the Paleobiology of Giants". In Otero, Alejandro; Carballido, José L.; Pol, Diego (eds.). South American Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs. Cham: Springer International Publishing. pp. 541–582. ISBN 978-3-030-95958-6.
- ^ Paul, Gregory S. (2010). The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs. Princeton University Press. p. 212.
- Santucci, R. M. & Bertini, R.J. (2006). "A large sauropod titanosaur from Peirópolis, Bauru Group, Brazil." N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Mh., 2006: 344-360; Stuttgart.
External links edit
- Brazil's Biggest Dinosaur Unveiled - LiveScience.com
