Amargasaurus

dinosaur · sauropod · spiky · argentina

Double row of spines. Amargasaurus had two parallel rows of tall spines down its neck and back that were taller than the spines on any other known sauropod. Scientists think these spines might have stuck out from its body like a fancy display or helped support a large sail of skin.

Smaller sauropod size. While Amargasaurus was still huge at 9 to 13 meters long, it was actually quite small compared to other sauropods like Brachiosaurus or Argentinosaurus. Even so, it would have been longer than a school bus.

Found in Argentina. The only complete skeleton of Amargasaurus was discovered in 1984 in Argentina, South America. This discovery in 1991 made scientists very happy because it included even a fragmentary skull, which is rare for sauropod fossils.

Spines for protection. Those impressive spines could have been used for display to impress other Amargasaurus, for fighting with rivals, or for defense against predators. The spines were likely connected by tough ligaments that created a strong scaffold structure.

Best preserved sauropod. Amargasaurus is one of the best-known sauropods from the Early Cretaceous period because its skeleton was nearly complete. This helps scientists understand what sauropods from that time looked like and how they lived.