Hypselosaurus
Encyclopedia
Hypselosaurus was a 27 feet (8.2 m) long titanosaur
id sauropod that lived in Europe
during the Late Cretaceous
Period (Maastrichtian
stage
, around 70 to 65 million years ago).
Hypselosaurus was scientifically described by geologist Pierre Émile Philippe Matheron in 1846 and formally named in 1869, on the basis of fragmentary remains from the Late Cretaceous
of the Provence
region of France. Matheron thought the animal was a gigantic crocodile.
The legs of Hypselosaurus were proportionally robust. Eggs attributed to it by Matheron and Paul Gervais
have been found in France since 1846, and were the earliest dinosaur eggs actually discovered, although they were not recognized as being dinosaurian for several decades. The eggs are unusually large; measuring at around 1 foot (0.3048 m) in length. Age determination
studies performed on the fossil
ized remains have been inconclusive, with results ranging from a few decades to several hundred years.
Eggs with abnormally thin shells have been attributed to Hypselosaurus priscus. Some experts have speculated that this was the cause of the species' extinction, with vegetation changes, climatic change and overcrowding being the original impetus for the shell thinning. However, there are alternative explanations for the thin eggshell not dependent on pathology. Later researchers found evidence that the eggs in question successfully hatched. Some researchers postulated that the thinner "Hypselosaurus priscus" eggshells came from different taxa than the thicker eggshells, and subsequent researchers have come to support this idea. Another potential explanation for variation in eggshell thickness is that the thinner eggs were laid by younger individuals than the thicker shell eggs laid by older individuals or that it was a consequence of natural variations of eggshell thickness within a single species.
Titanosaur
Titanosaurs were a diverse group of sauropod dinosaurs, which included Saltasaurus and Isisaurus. It includes some of the heaviest creatures ever to walk the earth, such as Argentinosaurus and Paralititan — which some believe have weighed up to 100 tonnes...
id sauropod that lived in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
during the Late Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
Period (Maastrichtian
Maastrichtian
The Maastrichtian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the latest age or upper stage of the Late Cretaceous epoch or Upper Cretaceous series, the Cretaceous period or system, and of the Mesozoic era or erathem. It spanned from 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma to 65.5 ± 0.3 Ma...
stage
Faunal stage
In chronostratigraphy, a stage is a succession of rock strata laid down in a single age on the geologic timescale, which usually represents millions of years of deposition. A given stage of rock and the corresponding age of time will by convention have the same name, and the same boundaries.Rock...
, around 70 to 65 million years ago).
Hypselosaurus was scientifically described by geologist Pierre Émile Philippe Matheron in 1846 and formally named in 1869, on the basis of fragmentary remains from the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
of the Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
region of France. Matheron thought the animal was a gigantic crocodile.
The legs of Hypselosaurus were proportionally robust. Eggs attributed to it by Matheron and Paul Gervais
Paul Gervais
For the Canadian parliamentarian see Paul Mullins GervaisPaul Gervais full name François Louis Paul Gervaise was a French palaeontologist and entomologist.-Biography:...
have been found in France since 1846, and were the earliest dinosaur eggs actually discovered, although they were not recognized as being dinosaurian for several decades. The eggs are unusually large; measuring at around 1 foot (0.3048 m) in length. Age determination
Age determination of dinosaurs
Age determination in dinosaurs is mainly used to determine the approximate age of a dinosaur when the animal died.-History:Early attempts to estimate the longevity of dinosaurs used allometric scaling principles. Ages were determined by dividing individual mass estimates by rates of growth for...
studies performed on the fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
ized remains have been inconclusive, with results ranging from a few decades to several hundred years.
Eggs with abnormally thin shells have been attributed to Hypselosaurus priscus. Some experts have speculated that this was the cause of the species' extinction, with vegetation changes, climatic change and overcrowding being the original impetus for the shell thinning. However, there are alternative explanations for the thin eggshell not dependent on pathology. Later researchers found evidence that the eggs in question successfully hatched. Some researchers postulated that the thinner "Hypselosaurus priscus" eggshells came from different taxa than the thicker eggshells, and subsequent researchers have come to support this idea. Another potential explanation for variation in eggshell thickness is that the thinner eggs were laid by younger individuals than the thicker shell eggs laid by older individuals or that it was a consequence of natural variations of eggshell thickness within a single species.