Jurassic Dinos editorial · Updated · Source-based review
What was Leinkupal?
Leinkupal was a diplodocid sauropod from Early Cretaceous Argentina. Diplodocids are better known from Jurassic rocks, so this discovery extended their documented history into a younger interval and a southern continent.
What makes the fossil distinctive?
The fossils include vertebrae, with a tail vertebra serving as the name-bearing specimen. Broad structures on the tail bones inspired the species name laticauda, meaning wide tail. The bones do not preserve the entire tail covering or a complete body outline.
Where was it found and how was it named?
The material was collected during fieldwork in 2010 and 2012 in the Bajada Colorada Formation, and the genus was named in 2014. The genus name combines Mapudungun words referring to a vanishing family, reflecting its late occurrence within the known diplodocid record.
What can we infer, and what remains uncertain?
The youngest known fossil is not necessarily the last individual that ever lived. Fossil records are incomplete, and future discoveries can extend a group’s range. Leinkupal is therefore evidence that diplodocids survived into the Early Cretaceous, rather than a timestamp for the death of the final member of the family.
Was this definitely the last diplodocid alive?
No. It is among the youngest known records, but the last preserved fossil need not mark the exact extinction of a group.
How can you check the evidence?
The Paleobiology Database record catalogues Leinkupal under Diplodocinae. Its linked bibliography identifies this research starting point: P. A. Gallina, S. Apesteguia, and A. Haluza, J. I. Canale. 2014. A diplodocid sauropod survivor from the Early Cretaceous of South America. PLoS One 9(5):e97128. Open the bibliographic record. A catalogue entry establishes the source trail; it does not independently verify every later illustration or behavioural claim.
Use the dated genus overview to follow the references behind the discovery and anatomy discussed above. When sources disagree, compare which specimen and rock layer each author studied. A reconstructed whole animal can combine original bones with comparisons to relatives; those two kinds of evidence should not be confused. The account above explains the particular limits that matter for Leinkupal, rather than supplying unsupported size, speed or lifespan figures.
Read the image and keep exploring
Photographs and drawings of Leinkupal vertebrae show the tail-bone anatomy used to identify this Cretaceous diplodocid. This diagram explains the stated evidence; schematic elements are not additional fossil observations.
Compare Diplodocus, Galeamopus, Kaatedocus. Find more names in the L index and explore sauropodomorph field notes. The glossary explains unfamiliar fossil terms.
Quick answers
- Where have Leinkupal fossils been found?
- The discoveries discussed here come from Argentina. Modern place names describe discovery locations, not a complete ancient geographic range.
- When did Leinkupal live?
- It is placed in the Cretaceous period. See the discovery discussion for qualifications about the particular rock layers and dating.
- Where can I compare Leinkupal with related dinosaurs?
- Follow the related field notes below. Comparisons explain shared anatomy; they do not imply that all the animals lived together.
