biology

Overosaurus

Overosaurus is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Overosaurus rather than just read about it. In short: Overosaurus (meaning "Overo lizard", after the Cerro Overo locality) is an extinct genus of sauropod dinosaurs, containing only a single species, Overosaurus paradasorum. This species lived approximately 86 to 84 million years ago during the latter part of the Cretaceous Period in what is now Patagonia (in southern Argentina).

Key takeaways

Overosaurus belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Overosaurus to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Overosaurus from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Overosaurus (meaning "Overo lizard", after the Cerro Overo locality) is an extinct genus of sauropod dinosaurs, containing only a single species, Overosaurus paradasorum. This species lived approximately 86 to 84 million years ago during the latter part of the Cretaceous Period in what is now Patagonia (in southern Argentina). Overosaurus paradasorum was relatively small compared to other sauropods from Patagonia, like the saltasaurids and other aeolosaurines, estimated as approximately 10 m (33 ft). It was a ground-dwelling herbivore.

Discovery and naming The only known specimen of Overosaurus paradasorum was recovered at the Cerro Overo locality in Patagonia, Argentina. The specimen was collected in 2002 by researchers from the Museo Carmen Funes, the Museo Argentino Urquiza, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, in terrestrial sediments deposited during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 84 to 78 million years ago. This specimen is housed in the collection of the Museo Argentino Urquiza in Neuquén, Argentina. The specimen was found by Carlos Parada and family, who provided logistic support to museum staff as well as assistance during fieldwork. The Cerro Overo locality was originally reported as within the Anacleto Formation of the Neuquén Group, but is now attributed to the Bajo de la Carpa Formation.

Description Overosaurus was described and named by Rodolfo A. Coria, Leonardo S. Filippi, Luis M. Chiappe, Rodolfo García and Andrea B. Arcucci in 2013. This species is known solely from the holotype MAU-Pv-CO-439 which consists of a fully articulated vertebral series from the 10th cervical to the 20th caudal vertebra, the ribs of the last three cervical vertebrae, six right dorsal ribs (articulated with their respective dorsal vertebrae 2,3,4,5,8,9), five left dorsal ribs (articulated with their respective dorsal vertebrae 2,3,4,5,8), the proximal portions of dorsal ribs of both sides of dorsal vertebrae 9 and 10, a complete right ilium and a fragmented left ilium. Specifically the vertebral series includes the last four cervical vertebrae, ten dorsal vertebrae, six sacral vertebrae, and twenty caudal vertebrae. Its sacrum consists of six fused sacral vertebrae.

Classification Overosaurus was differentiated from other titanosaur taxa using a unique combination of characters present in the ilium and in the cervical, dorsal and caudal vertebrae. A phylogenetic analysis of Lithostrotia placed Overosaurus within the Aeolosaurini, as the sister taxon of a monophyletic group formed by Gondwanatitan faustoi, Pitekunsaurus macayai, Aeolosaurus rionegrinus, and Aeolosaurus maximus.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Overosaurus

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Overosaurus claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Overosaurus before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Overosaurus ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Overosaurus

In research: Overosaurus appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Overosaurus in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Overosaurus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bajo de la Carpa Formation, Dinosaur genera, Dinosaurs of Argentina, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Overosaurus outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Overosaurus in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Overosaurus means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Overosaurus out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Overosaurus in simple terms?

Why does Overosaurus matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Overosaurus?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Overosaurus.