The early radiation of sauropodomorphs in the Carnian of South America
Langer, Apaldetti, Bronzati, Ezcurra, Marzola and Müller
CHAPTER 2
Non-sauropodiform plateosaurians: between biped gracile and robust quadrupedal
Otero
CHAPTER 3
Non-gravisaurian Sauropodiformes of South America: early trends towards gigantism
Apaldetti and Martínez
CHAPTER 4
Gravisaurian sauropods from the late Early Jurassic from South America and the radiation of Eusauropoda
Pol, Gómez, Holwerda, Rauhut and Carballido
CHAPTER 5
Highly specialized diplodocoids: the Rebbachisauridae
Salgado, Gallina and Lerzo
CHAPTER 6
Whiplash tails and spiny backs in southwestern Gondwana: flagellicaudatans from South America
Gallina, Apesteguía, Carballido and Garderes
CHAPTER 7
The rise of non-titanosaur macronarians in South America
Carballido, Salgado and Bellardini
CHAPTER 8
Titanosauria: early diversification and systematics
Carballido, Otero and Mannion
CHAPTER 9
Time for giants: titanosaurs from the Aptian-Santonian age
Gallina, González Riga and Ortiz David
CHAPTER 10
Last titans: titanosaurs from the Campanian-Maastrichtian age
Rodrigo Santucci and Leonardo Filippi
CHAPTER 11
Eggs, nests and reproductive biology
Fernández, Vila and Moreno-Azanza
CHAPTER 12
Body size evolution and locomotion in Sauropodomorpha: what the South American record tells us
Otero and Hutchinson
CHAPTER 13
South American sauropodomorphs: what their bone histology has revealed to us?
Cerda
CHAPTER 14
Sauropod ichnology: overview and new research lines from a South American perspective
Calvo, González Riga, Apesteguía and Tomaselli
CHAPTER 15
Taphonomy: overview and new perspectives related with the paleobiology of giants
González Riga, Casal, Fiorillo and Ortiz David
Sauropodomorpha Huene 1932 is one of the most successful groups of dinosaurs, including the most abundant and diverse herbivorous forms with a worldwide record, extending from the late Triassic to the late Cretaceous. Sauropodomorphs comprise a diverse assemblage of early forms (traditionally called “prosauropods”) and the well-established clade Sauropoda Marsh 1878. Early sauropodomorphs were small to medium sized forms, with long necks and reduced skulls, mostly bipeds and omnivores and were abundant in continental environments in the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic. With more than 150 valid species and a worldwide distribution, Sauropoda includes the dominant herbivorous dinosaurs, from the Middle Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous. Its unique body plan, characterized by gigantic size, graviportal locomotion, long necks and tails, and reduced skulls, made this group an undisputed icon in popular culture since the 19th century. In South America, the sauropodomorph record is particularly rich and abundant, and many species have shed light to understand important milestones in the evolutionary history of this group of dinosaurs. The origin of Sauropodomorpha, the transition to Sauropoda, and the diversification of its most successful evolutionary lineages are largely exemplified by the South American fossil record. In this contribution, we synthetize the diversity of sauropodomorphs from South America, including data on their geographic and stratigraphic provenance, phylogenetics, paleobiology, taphonomy and behaviour, underscoring their significance within the context of sauropodomorph evolution.