Talenkauen

Say it like this: “ta-LEN-ca-wen”

Talenkauen santacrucensis

Talenkauen ate plants and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Argentina.

Quiz me on Talenkauen

When: Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
Named in: 2004 · Novas, F. E.; Cambiaso, A. V.; Ambrosio, A.
Hip height: 1.2 m · 4 ft
Length: 4–4.7 m · 13–15 ft
Weight: 300 kg · 661 lb
Found in: Argentina · Cerro Fortaleza
Food and walking: Herbivore · Two legs
Kind: beaked plant-eater · Ornithopod
Family branch: Elasmaria

The story in short

Talenkauen was formally named in 2004 by F. E. Novas and colleagues.

Fossils referred to Talenkauen date to the Late Cretaceous (Campanian), roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago. Finds come from Argentina, including the Cerro Fortaleza Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on two legs.

Published estimates put Talenkauen at a length near 4–4.7 m, hips about 1.2 m high, and a body mass around 300 kg.

On the family tree it sits in Elasmaria, among the ornithopod dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Anabisetia

Anabisetia saldiviai

Late Cretaceous (Turonian) · roughly 93.9 to 89.8 million years ago

Atlascopcosaurus

Atlascopcosaurus loadsi

Early Cretaceous (Barremian · Aptian · Albian) · roughly 125.8 to 100.5 million years ago

Chakisaurus

Chakisaurus nekul

Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian · Turonian) · roughly 100.5 to 89.8 million years ago