Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, (Early Maastrichtian) 71.5 Ma
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Skeleton restoration of Ampelosaurus atacis
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Clade:
Dinosauria
Clade:
Saurischia
Clade:
†Sauropodomorpha
Clade:
†Sauropoda
Clade:
†Macronaria
Clade:
†Titanosauria
Clade:
†Lithostrotia
Subfamily:
†Lirainosaurinae
Genus:
†Ampelosaurus Le Loeuff, 1995
Type species
†Ampelosaurus atacis
Le Loeuff, 1995
Ampelosaurus (/ˌæmpɪloʊˈsɔːrəs/AM-pi-loh-SOR-əs; meaning "vine lizard") is a titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now France. Its type species is A. atacis, named by Le Loeuff in 1995. Its remains were found in a level dating from 71.5 million years ago representing the early Maastrichtian.
Like most sauropods, it would have had a long neck and tail but it also carried armor in the form of osteoderms. In 2005, over 500 bones have been assigned to Ampelosaurus and additional material has been found since, including a partially articulated skeleton with skull, which makes it one of the best known dinosaurs in France. However, recent studies suggest that the type locality is not a monospecific titanosaur bone bed and that part of the bones attributed to Ampelosaurus probably belong to a second titanosaurian taxon.
Ampelosaurus lived on what was the Ibero-Armorican Island, a landmass including much of present-day France and Iberian Peninsula. Histological studies show characteristics related to an island environment such as a slowed growth rate. However, with a size of about 14 m (46 ft) in length for the largest known individual, Ampelosaurus was not an insular dwarf unlike some other Ibero-Armorican titanosaurs like Lirainosaurus and Atsinganosaurus, or the genus Magyarosaurus from the Hateg island.
Several specimens found elsewhere in France and Spain were referred to Ampelosaurus but were later identified as belonging to other titanosaurs.
that part of the bones attributed to Ampelosaurus probably belong to a second titanosaurian taxon. Ampelosaurus lived on what was the Ibero-Armorican...
Dinosaurian fauna from the Marnes Rouges Inférieures Formation include Ampelosaurus, an animal classified as Dromaeosauridae indet., and an indeterminate...
as a probable synapomorphy of this clade. Aeolosaurus, Alamosaurus, Ampelosaurus and Magyarosaurus were looked at using their character list, but were...
alongside a variety of species such as Zalmoxes, Rhabdodon priscus, Ampelosaurus atacis, Lirainosaurus astibiae, Atsinganosaurus velauciensis, some undescribed...
being Shunosaurus, and several titanosaurs, such as Saltasaurus and Ampelosaurus, had small bony osteoderms covering portions of their bodies. A study...
osteoderms are known in many saltasaurids, Mendozasaurus, Aeolosaurus, Ampelosaurus, and various other genera both within and outside Lithostrotia with different...
Originally believed to be a species of Ornithopsis or Cetiosauriscus Ampelosaurus 1995 Argiles et Grès à Reptiles Formation, Grès de Labarre, Gres de Saint-Chinian...
summoning Tank and Ampelosaurus while Seth summons Saurophaganax. Seth uses Fire Scorcher, which defeats Tank and Ampelosaurus. Helga comes to their...
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