Page 72 - The Dinosaur Book and Other Wonders of the Prehistoric World (DK-Smithsonian)

GLOBAL RANGE

The skin was probably covered with
small scales and occasional bigger ones. Titanosaurs were first
discovered in South
America but have since
been found in Europe,
India, Mongolia, China,
Africa, and even
Antarctica—showing
that they were a global
success story.

Patagotitan

The bony osteoderms embedded in
the skin of this animal’s back seem to
have been a common feature of many
titanosaurs, and some were much
more heavily armored.

Ampelosaurus

Most of the weight of
Patagotitan was supported
by its back feet, which were
cushioned with wedge-shaped
pads like those of elephants.

In many ways, titanosaurs were typical animal. But they had other, more distinctive
sauropods, with long necks, long tails, and features. Their hands were better adapted for
bulky bodies supported on all four limbs. bearing weight than those of earlier sauropods,
In giants like Patagotitan and Puertasaurus, and later titanosaurs like Saltasaurus and
their length, bulk, and especially weight were Nemegtosaurus had no finger bones; they
70 close to the maximum possible for a land stood on pillarlike structures made up of the

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