Amygdalodon patagonicus

†Amygdalodon patagonicus was one of the oldest sauropod dinosaurs from South America — a basal sauropod from the Middle Jurassic (~175 Ma) of Chubut Province, Argentina. A large quadrupedal herbivore with a long neck, it was named by Cabrera in 1947 from teeth and vertebrae. Its discovery in the Cañadon Asfalto Formation provides early evidence of sauropod diversification in Gondwana.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Amygdalodon patagonicus was a plant-eating dinosaur. Herbivores typically fed on ferns, cycads, conifers, and other vegetation available during their era. Many herbivorous dinosaurs developed specialized teeth and digestive systems for processing tough plant material.

Time Period

Jurassic Early Mesozoic Era

Amygdalodon patagonicus lived during the Jurassic Early period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 201.4 to 174.7 million years ago.

After the Triassic-Jurassic extinction, dinosaurs rapidly diversified and became the dominant land vertebrates. Early sauropods and theropods began to evolve larger body sizes.