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long-neck giant
Elaltitan
Say it like this: “EE-lal-TIE-tan”
Elaltitan lilloi
Elaltitan ate plants and walked on four legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Argentina.
- When
- Late Cretaceous (Coniacian) · roughly 89.8 to 85.7 million years ago
- Named in
- 2012 · Mannion, P. D.; Otero, A.
- Hip height
- 3.5 m · 11 ft
- Length
- 20 m · 66 ft
- Weight
- 23–42.8 tonnes
- Found in
- Argentina · Lago Colhué Huapi
- Food and walking
- Herbivore · Four legs
- Kind
- long-neck giant · Sauropod
- Family branch
- Lithostrotia
The story in short
The genus Elaltitan dates to 2012, the year P. D. Mannion and A. Otero described it.
Fossils referred to Elaltitan date to the Late Cretaceous (Coniacian), roughly 89.8 to 85.7 million years ago. Finds come from Argentina, including the Lago Colhué Huapi Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.
Published estimates put Elaltitan at a length near 20 m, hips about 3.5 m high, and a body mass around 23–42.8 tonnes.
On the family tree it sits in Lithostrotia, among the sauropod dinosaurs.
Close relatives
Atacamatitan
Atacamatitan chilensis
Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Maastrichtian) · roughly 100.5 to 66 million years ago
Dreadnoughtus
Dreadnoughtus schrani
Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
Epachthosaurus
Epachthosaurus sciuttoi
Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian · Turonian) · roughly 100.5 to 89.8 million years ago