Description

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Context

Geology students recently uncovered a rare and nearly complete fossil of Alamosaurus at Big Bend National Park, USA.

About Alamosaurus

Feature	Details
Scientific Classification	Genus: Alamosaurus Family: Titanosauria (a group of sauropod dinosaurs)
Time Period	Late Cretaceous Period (approximately 100.5 to 66 million years ago)
Habitat	Native to North America specifically in what is now the USA and Mexico.
Physical Characteristics	Herbivorous sauropod with long neck, long tail, and pillar-like limbs. Armoured spikes on its back for defense against predators.
Size	Height: At least 11 meters Length: 30.5 meters Weight: 38–80 metric tons
Unique Features	Only known sauropod in North America from the Upper Cretaceous. Largest terrestrial animal in North America during its time.
Related Species	Rivals Argentinosaurus of South America in size (one of the largest known dinosaurs).
Extinction	Became extinct during the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event (~66 million years ago). One of the last non-avian dinosaurs to walk the Earth.

Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park is a national park of the United States located in West Texas, bordering Mexico.

The park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States and was named after a large bend in the Rio Grande/Río Bravo.

The park protects more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56 species of reptiles, and 75 species of mammals.

The Chisos Mountains are located in the park, and are the only mountain range in the United States to be fully contained within the boundary of a national park.

Sources: INDIANDEFENCEREVIEW

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Which of the following statements about Alamosaurus is correct?

A) Alamosaurus was a carnivorous dinosaur found in Europe during the Jurassic Period.
B) Alamosaurus was among the last non-avian dinosaurs before the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.
C) Alamosaurus was smaller in size compared to most other sauropods of its time.
D) Alamosaurus lived during the Triassic Period and mainly inhabited South America.

Answer: B)

Explanation:

Option A is wrong. It was herbivorous and lived in North America not Europe and during the Cretaceous Period, not Jurassic.

Option B is correct. Long neck, armored spikes and it existed just before the mass extinction event.

Option C is wrong. Alamosaurus was one of the largest sauropods not smaller.

Option D is wrong. It lived during the Cretaceous Period in North America not Triassic or South America.