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''Maxakalisaurus'' is a genus of aeolosaurid dinosaur, found in Brazil, from the city of Prata, in the state of Minas Gerais in 1998. It was related to ''Saltasaurus'', a sauropod considered unusual because it had evolved apparently defensive traits, including bony plates on its skin and vertical plates along its spine; such osteoderms have also been found for ''Maxakalisaurus''. The genus name is derived from the tribe of the Maxakali; Topa is one of their divinities. The ''Maxakalisaurus'' fossils belonged to an animal about long, with an estimated weight of 9 tons, although, according to paleontologist Alexander Kellner, it could reach a length of approximately . It had a long neck and tail, ridged teeth (unusual among sauropods) and lived about 80 million years ago. Because sauropods seem to have lacked significant competition in South America, they evolved there with greater diversity and more unusual traits than elsewhere in the world. "This is the biggest dinosaur yet described in Brazil," said Alexander Kellner, lead author of the scientific description. "We have found the bones of what appear to be larger dinosaurs, but we still haven't been able to put them together for scientific descriptions." ==References== * Kellner, A.W.A., Campos, D.A., Azevedo, S.A.K., Trotta, M.N.F., Henriques, D.D.R., Craik, M.M.T., and Silva, H.P. (2006). "(On a new titanosaur sauropod from the Bauru Group, Late Cretaceous of Brazil. )" ''Boletim do Museu Nacional (Geologia)'', 74: 1-31. * Santucci, R. M. & Bertini, R.J. (2006). "A large sauropod titanosaur from Peirópolis, Bauru Group, Brazil." ''N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Mh.'', 2006: 344-360; Stuttgart. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Maxakalisaurus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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