Aerosteon

Aerosteon
Temporal range:
Campanian
Skeletal diagram illustrating air-filled bones
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Megaraptora
Family: Megaraptoridae
Genus: Aerosteon
Sereno et al. 2009
Type species
Aerosteon riocoloradensis
Sereno et al. 2009

Aerosteon is a genus of megaraptoran dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period of Argentina. Its remains were discovered in 1996 in the Anacleto Formation, which is from the late Campanian.[1] The type and only known species is A. riocoloradensis. Its specific name indicates that its remains were found 1 km (0.6 miles) north of the Río Colorado, in Mendoza Province, Argentina.

They show evidence of a bird-like respiratory system.[1] Aerosteon's name can be translated as air bone and derives from Greek ἀήρ (aer, "air") and ὀστέον (osteon, "bone").

  1. ^ a b Sereno, P.C.; Martinez, R.N.; Wilson, J.A.; Varricchio, D.J.; Alcober, O.A.; Larsson, H.C.E. (2008). Kemp, Tom (ed.). "Evidence for Avian Intrathoracic Air Sacs in a New Predatory Dinosaur from Argentina". PLOS ONE. 3 (9): e3303. Bibcode:2008PLoSO...3.3303S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0003303. PMC 2553519. PMID 18825273.