Argentinosaurus fossil map
Where fossils of Argentinosaurus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 115 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 115 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Sauropods & prosauropods |
|---|---|
| Lived | 110.1–106.3 million years ago (Albian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Named by | Bonaparte and Coria 1993 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Argentina |
| Rock formations | Huincul |
About Argentinosaurus
Argentinosaurus (meaning "lizard from Argentina") is a genus of giant sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period in what is now Argentina. Although it is only known from fragmentary remains, Argentinosaurus was one of the largest known land animals of all time, measuring 30–35 m (98–115 ft) long and weighing 65–80 t (72–88 short tons). It was a member of Titanosauria, the dominant group of sauropods during the Cretaceous.
The first Argentinosaurus bone was discovered in 1987 by a farmer on his farm near the city of Plaza Huincul. A scientific excavation of the site led by the Argentine palaeontologist José Bonaparte was conducted in 1989, yielding several back vertebrae and parts of a sacrum—fused vertebrae between the back and tail vertebrae. Additional specimens include a complete femur (thigh bone) and the shaft of another. Argentinosaurus was named by Bonaparte and the Argentine palaeontologist Rodolfo Coria in 1993; the genus contains a single species, A. huinculensis, after its place of discovery, Plaza Huincul.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Argentinosaurus (revision 1377658320), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 22 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in.
