Aerosteon: Dino Fun Facts! 🦕✨
The Aerosteon, also known as the Aerosteon riocoloradense, is known to be a theropod found in present-day Argentina. Fossil remains were discovered in the Plottier Formation.
It existed in the Late Cretaceous period.
Not a lot of information can be found on the Aerosteon habitat, but it has been recorded that it used to inhabit terrestrial habitats. This species was known to reproduce sexually and the male used to deposit sperm inside the female body and the female used to lay fertilized eggs that consisted of embryos that were developing.
Not much can be gathered from fossils about the appearance of this dinosaur but bones show air-filled spaces (pneumatization) which also is evidence that this dinosaur had a respiratory air-sac system very similar to that of a modern bird. The Aerosteon weight is known to be around 0.5-1 ton (500-1,000 kg).
This dinosaur was considered to be a meat-eating species.
The first description of this species was done by Paul Sereno. The holotype specimen was named MCNA-PV-3137 and it included a number of complete and partial vertebrae from the back, the neck, the sacrum, dorsal and cervical ribs, the furcula, the gastralia, the left ilium, the scapulocoracoid, and right and left pubes.
Theories of Sereno also state that the respiratory system of this species was used for maintaining the body temperature and also for breathing.
The Murusraptor and the Aerosteon are considered to have a similar structure to their vertebrae and cranial bones. The Aerosteon meaning when translated is 'air borne'.
It is quite fascinating to learn about this theropod and if you are interested, read about the Yinlong and the Sauropelta, too.
