Open Paleo

Notocolossus

González Riga et al., 2016 NOT-o-cuh-LOSS-us

From Greek notos (νότος, 'south wind') and kolossos (κολοσσός, 'giant statue'), meaning 'giant of the south', referring to its southern hemisphere provenance and enormous size

89.8–83.6 million years ago Coniacian–Santonian, Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous stages

Notocolossus is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from late Cretaceous strata of Mendoza Province, Argentina.

Diagnosis

  1. Anterior dorsal vertebra with parapophyseal centrodiapophyseal fossa subdivided by two 'accessory' laminae
  2. Anterior caudal vertebrae with laminae converging ventrally on anterior surface of neural spine, forming V-shaped conformation in anterior view
  3. Humerus with greatly expanded proximomedial process positioned well medial to humeral midshaft
  4. Humerus with proportionally wide proximal end (proximal width:midshaft width ≈ 2.9)
  5. Humerus with proximolaterally–distomedially oriented ridge bounding distal edge of coracobrachialis fossa
  6. Metatarsal I with proximal dorsoventral diameter greater than proximodistal length of bone
  7. Metatarsal III relatively short (only 1.2 times length of metatarsal I)
  8. Proximal phalanges more than half as wide as their corresponding metatarsals are long
  9. Pedal unguals reduced, rugose, and distally truncated

Species

Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi González Riga et al., 2016

Type species

Named for Jorge González Parejas, who studied the dinosaur fossils of Mendoza Province for two decades.

Holotype
UNCUYO-LD 301 , Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Laboratorio de Dinosaurios
Material
Anterior dorsal vertebra, anterior caudal vertebra, right humerus (1.76m length), proximal end of left pubis
Horizon
lower Plottier Formation, Coniacian–Santonian, Late Cretaceous , 89.8–83.6 million years ago
Locality
Cerro Guillermo, Mendoza, Argentina

Notable specimens

  • UNCUYO-LD 302

    Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Laboratorio de Dinosaurios complementary

    Referred smaller individual preserving five anterior caudal vertebrae and a complete right foot connected to an astragalus, a skeletal part rarely preserved in sauropods and absent in the holotype; the pes shows a compact metatarsus and truncated unguals unknown elsewhere in Sauropoda.

    González Riga et al. (2016)

References

  1. González Riga, B. J.; Lamanna, M. C.; Ortiz David, L. D.; Calvo, J. O.; Coria, J. P. (2016). A gigantic new dinosaur from Argentina and the evolution of the sauropod hind foot. Scientific Reports 6(1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1038/srep19165 gonzálezriga2016a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Sauropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the hip height estimate.

    jones2026b