Critter of the Day, 5/8/09: Alamosaurus

Scientists currently consider it very unlikely that Alamosaurus sanjuanensis will be host to a battle between Texan soldiers and the Mexican Army, so visiting a mounted skeleton in a museum is probably perfectly safe. In all seriousness, though, this Upper Cretaceous titanosaur (southern long-necks; last known sauropods) was actually not named after the Alamo in San Antonio, but after the Ojo Alamo Formation in New Mexico. Confusing, huh? This sauropod is the only known titanosaur to have occured in North America, as most members of that group of sauropods are known only from localities which were once part of the southern supercontinent of Gondwana, such as South America, Africa, India, Madagascar, and southern Europe, though some forms have also been found in Asia. This dinosaur was named by Gilmore in 1922, and played a confusing game of taxonomical hopscotch before finally being placed with the titanosaurs.