Open Paleo

Bonitasaura

Apesteguía, 2004 boh-NEE-tah-SOR-uh

Named after the La Bonita fossil quarry in Argentina where remains were found, combined with Greek sauros meaning 'lizard'. Full meaning: 'La Bonita lizard'.

85.7–83.6 million years ago Santonian, Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous stages

Bonitasaura is a genus of titanosaurian dinosaur hailing from uppermost layers of the Late Cretaceous (Santonian) Bajo de la Carpa Formation, Neuquén Group of the eastern Neuquén Basin, located in Río Negro Province, Northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. The remains, consisting of a partial sub-adult skeleton jumbled in a small area of fluvial sandstone, including a lower jaw with teeth, a partial vertebrae series, and limb bones, were described by Sebastian Apesteguía in 2004.

Diagnosis

  1. Dentary alveoli reduced in number (three in main ramus, one in angle, up to seven in anterior region), teeth restricted to anterior portion of jaw.
  2. Middle and posterior region of dentary edentulous, forming a sharp dorsal edge (guillotine crest) with a profusely vascularized lateral side indicative of a keratinous sheath.
  3. Very robust, diagonal neural arch pillars and bulging neural spine summits on anterior dorsal vertebrae.

Species

Bonitasaura salgadoi Apesteguía, 2004

Type species

Named in homage to Leonardo Salgado, a renowned Argentine paleontologist.

Holotype
MPCA-PV 300 , Museo provincial de Cipolletti "Carlos Ameghino"
Material
Partially articulated subadult skeleton: left frontal, left parietal, right dentary with 15 teeth, two cervical, six dorsal, and 12 caudal vertebrae, two chevrons, cervical and dorsal ribs, humerus, radius, two metacarpals, femur, tibia, two metatarsals.
Horizon
upper Bajo de la Carpa Formation, Santonian, Late Cretaceous , 85.7–83.6 million years ago
Locality
La Bonita hill fossil quarry, Río Negro, Argentina

References

  1. Apesteguía, S. (2004). Bonitasaura salgadoi gen. et sp. nov.: a beaked sauropod from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia. Naturwissenschaften 91(10): 493-497. doi:10.1007/s00114-004-0560-6 apesteguía2004a
  2. Paul, G. S. (2024). The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs (3rd ed.). Princeton University Press.

    Source of the mass estimate.

    paul2024a
  3. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Sauropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the hip height estimate, and the appearance features.

    jones2026b