Amargasaurus

Amargasaurus was a medium-size sauropod that lived during the Early Cretaceous Period, about 131-125 million years ago. Its name means "Lizard from La Marga". It had 2 rows of spines growing out along its backbone along its neck, body, and tail. The spines may have been useful as protection.










Amargasaurus was an herbivore (it ate only plants). It swallowed leaves whole, without chewing them, and may have had gastroliths (stomach stones) in its stomach to help digest this tough plant material. It had blunt teeth, useful for stripping foliage. Amargasaurus may have travelled in herds and may have migrated when they depleted their local food supply, like other diplodocids. Sauropod life spans may have been on the order of 100 years. Amargasaurus is known from am almost complete skeleton (it is missing the front of the skull and the tail). Amargasaurus was found in La Amarga, a canyon in Argentina. It was name by paleontologists Salgado & José Bonaparte in 1991.