biology

Unquillosaurus

Unquillosaurus 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 Unquillosaurus rather than just read about it. In short: Unquillosaurus (meaning "Unquillo river lizard") is a genus of large theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Los Blanquitos Formation of Salta Province, Argentina. Its precise classification is uncertain, but most researchers consider it as a maniraptoran.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Unquillosaurus (meaning "Unquillo river lizard") is a genus of large theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Los Blanquitos Formation of Salta Province, Argentina. Its precise classification is uncertain, but most researchers consider it as a maniraptoran. The genus contains a single species, U. ceibalii, known only from a single fossilized pubis (a pelvic bone).

Discovery and naming The holotype, PVL 3670-11, was found at Arroyo-Morterito in the Los Blanquitos Formation, dating to the Maastrichtian. The specimen, which consists of a left pubis measuring 51.4 centimetres (1 ft 8.2 in) long, was re-studied by Fernando Novas and Federico Agnolin in 2004, who concluded that the orientation of the pubis had been misinterpreted: it pointed backwards, as was shown by the fossil still being attached to a displaced part of the pubic peduncle of the ilium. The type species Unquillosaurus ceibalii was described by Jaime Eduardo Powell in 1979. The generic name, "Unquillosaurus," is derived from the river Unquillo and the Greek word, "sauros," meaning "lizard." The specific name, "ceibalii," refers to the town El Ceibal.

Classification Powell (1979) assigned Unquillosaurus as a theropod of uncertain taxonomic placement, regarding it as a member of the Carnosauria. In 2004, Novas and Agnolín concluded from the opisthopubic pelvic anatomy that Unquillosaurus was part of the Maniraptora or at least Maniraptoriformes, and likely closely related to either the Avialae or the bird-like Alvarezsauridae; perhaps it was itself a bird, a basal member of the Metornithes. In 2006, Martínez and Novas stated that Unquillosaurus probably belonged to the maniraptoran clade Dromaeosauridae. In 2012, however, Carrano and colleagues considered Unquillosaurus as a member of the Carcharodontosauridae, noting that the animal has many similarities to Giganotosaurus. In 2013, Agnolín and Novas interpreted Unquillosaurus as a very large averaptoran instead, suggesting that the distal pubis shows condition of a coelurosaur and different from that of a carnosaur. In a 2016 study about the phylogeny of theropods found in Argentina, Unquillosaurus is considered as a maniraptoran. As of 2021, no reliable records of carcharodontosaurids beyond the Turonian age were known. In 2024, the describers of Diuqin considered this taxon to be a possible member of the Unenlagiinae.

Paleoecology Unquillosaurus is known from the Los Blanquitos Formation. The abelisaurid theropod Guemesia is also known from this formation, as well as fossils of what may belong to a species of Titanosaurus.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Unquillosaurus

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Unquillosaurus 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 Unquillosaurus 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 Unquillosaurus 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 Unquillosaurus

In research: Unquillosaurus 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 Unquillosaurus 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: Unquillosaurus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Dinosaur genera, Dinosaurs of Argentina, Fossil taxa described in 1979, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Unquillosaurus 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.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Unquillosaurus” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Unquillosaurus in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Unquillosaurus 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 Unquillosaurus out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Unquillosaurus in simple terms?

Why does Unquillosaurus 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 Unquillosaurus?

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 Unquillosaurus.