South American Dinosaurs

• During the early part of the Mesozoic Era (the Triassic Period), South America was joined with all the other continents in one super-continent known as Pangaea.
  
  
• By the Jurassic Period, Pangaea begun to break up into two smaller super-continents: Laurasia and Gondwanaland. South America was part of the southern super-continent, Gondwanaland, which consisted of Africa, India, Australia and Antartica, as well as South America.
  
  
• By the Cretaceous Period, Gondwanaland begun to break-up: South America separated from Africa and Antarctica, India begun a long journey northwards, and Australia too broke from Antarctica and begun to move North. Eventually South America would become an isolated island continent, and it remained so until quite recently (long after the dinosaurs became extinct) when the Isthmus of Panama joined it to North America.

Dinosaur	Dinosaur Location
Argentinosaurus	Argentinosaurus lived in Argentina.
Aucasaurus	Aucasaurus lived in Argentina.
Buitreraptor	Buitreraptor lived in Argentina.
Carnotaurus	Carnotaurus lived in South America.
Giganotosaurus	Giganotosaurus lived in southern Argentina.
Herrerasaurus	Herrerasaurus lived in Northwest Argentina.
Iguanodon	Iguanodon lived in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
Kritosaurus	Kritosaurus lived in North America, and possibly South America.
Riojasaurus	Riojasaurus lived in South America.
Saltasaurus	Saltasaurus lived in South America (fossils have been found in Argentina and Uruguay).
Staurikosaurus	Staurikosaurus lived in South America.
Unaysaurus	Unaysaurus lived in South America.

Related Information & Resources

• Dinosaur World

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