Geo Expo - A Spiny Sauropod

While the column Geo Expo wasn't in the original [rq} I have such a passion for rocks, minerals, and fossils that it deserves to have its own topic. So here is the article I wrote up on a pretty cool sauropod, that's a 'long neck' in layman's terms, for you to enjoy.

First off is the Amargasaurus which as you can see from the above image is quite interesting. The most notable and obvious feature is the double row of spines on its back, which tapers down into one line. Now modern scientists aren't quite sure what the function of these spikes are, but there have been a few theories. One main idea is that they were utilized for mating purposes, similar to how other animals show off their features like colors or horns. There is also the question on whether or not their was a flap of skin that made the spines into a sail, however this has been heavily disputed and many think that this is not the case. If it was a sail it could have been used as temperature control, like how Dimetrodon (which actually is not a dinosaur), otherwise it could have been possibly have been used as defense.

Amargasaurus gets its name from the area where it was found La Amarga and only one species is known called A. cazaui. It has been found to reach lengths of 33 feet and is estimated to have weighed up to five tons. Like many sauropods it is thought to have walked in herds. It probably lived around 130 to 125 million years ago in the area that is now present day Argentina (the site where it was found). Not too much else is known about this believed-to-be herbivore but it remains one of the bizarre creatures that inhabited our past. If you would like to learn more about Amargasaurus and many other very odd creatures of the Cretaceous, that's right they weren't around during the Jurassic, check out this interesting National Geographic article on bizarre dinosaurs.