FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
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Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
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Are you always keen on knowing what the paleontologists are up to? If so, then you have heard about the recent discovery of a new specimen of the Leinkupal laticauda dinosaur. The first remains of this dinosaur were found in the Bajada Colorada Formation of Argentina, South America. It's said to belong to the Early Cretaceous period, and remains were first discovered during 2010-2012. The quartet of Pablo Gallina, Alejandro Haluza, Sebastián Apesteguía, and Juan Canale described and named the Leinkupal laticauda in 2014 and classified it to be a small diplodocine sauropod from the Early Cretaceous period and was placed in the Diplodocidae family.
It's pronounced as 'Line-ku-pal'.
The Leinkupal laticauda was classified as a diplodocine sauropod by the group, Pablo Gallina, Alejandro Haluza, Sebastián Apesteguía, and Juan Canale.
This dinosaur lived during the Early Cretaceous Period, between the ages of Late Berriasian and Early Valanginian when the Atlantic Ocean was forming.
It is unknown when exactly Leinkupal laticauda became extinct.
They lived in what is now the Bajada Colorada Formation, present in the Neuquén Province of Argentina, South America.
This dinosaur species lived in a terrestrial habitat.
It would have lived alongside other dinosaurs and animal species that existed in the area.
Not much is known regarding its lifespan.
This dinosaur would have reproduced by laying eggs.
Not much is known about its appearance, but it did have a long neck like other sauropods. However, it might have been a tad smaller than other sauropod species.
The exact number of bones is unknown as only a few pieces of its skeletal remains such as tail vertebrae have been recovered. However, recently, in 2022, a braincase specimen was linked to it. It is from South America.
Like any other dinosaur, this one from South America would have communicated with sounds.
The estimated body length of the Leinkupal laticauda is 29 ft (9 m). Compared to it, another dinosaur from the Cretaceous period, the Alamosaurus had a length of 98 ft (30 m).
The exact speed is not known, but sauropods usually moved slowly due to their huge body.
There is not enough fossils to estimate its weight.
There are no separate names for the sexes.
A baby Leinkupal would be called a hatchling.
This sauropod mainly fed on the native plants of Argentina. It is unknown how rare they were.
As a herbivore, this species wouldn't have been too aggressive or predatory, and they wouldn't bite anyone.
The genus name of this sauropod from South America is created by the words of 'lein' and 'kupal' from the Mapudungun language, and it means 'vanishing family'.
The specific name comes from Latin, and it stands for 'wide tail' due to its wide caudal vertebrae.
**We've been unable to source an image of Leinkupal and have used an image of Diplodocus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Leinkupal, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected].
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At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
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