What is Ardetosaurus viator?

Oct. 11, 2024

Paleontologists have identified a new genus and species of sauropod dinosaur named Ardetosaurus viator from a semi-articulated specimen found in the 1990s in northern Wyoming, the United States.

About Ardetosaurus viator:

It is a newly discovered species of dinosaur that roamed Earth during the Late Jurassic epoch, some 150 million years ago.
It was a type of diplodocid, a family of sauropod dinosaurs that includes some of the longest creatures ever to walk the planet.
What are Sauropods?
- Sauropods were the largest of all dinosaurs and the largest land animals that ever lived.
- They existed for a minimum of 135 million years, from the beginning of the Jurassic 201 million years ago to the end of the Cretaceous, 66 million years.
- Sauropod remains have been found on every continent, except Antarctica.
- They are best recognized by their long necks and long tails, and their success can be attributed to their extreme size, an intricate bird-like air sac system, as well as their unique feeding and digestive strategies and oviparous reproduction.
- One of the most recognizable sauropod families is Diplodocidae.
  - These sauropods are generally characterized by their extremely long necks and even longer tails.
  - Diplodocids are known from North and South America, Europe, and Africa.