First dinosaur discovered in Ecuador's Amazon identified as titanosaurian sauropod

A significant paleontological discovery has emerged from Ecuador's Amazon rainforest, with the identification of the region's first dinosaur fossil. The remains, unearthed by local community members in 2018 following a landslide along the Napo River, have been confirmed by scientific research to belong to a titanosaurian sauropod.

Informally dubbed "Wakrayampi" by researchers, a name derived from the local Napo-Kichwa language meaning "cow iguana," the dinosaur is estimated to have lived around 67 million years ago. This herbivorous creature, characterized by its long neck and tail, walked on four legs. The discovered fossil includes an incomplete forelimb, featuring parts of a humerus and five metacarpals. These bones exhibit a more slender build compared to Yamanasaurus lojaensis, Ecuador's previously documented dinosaur.

While the fossil fragments suggest a potential link to the Colossosauria group of titanosaurs, the limited amount of material prevents precise species identification or size estimation. Researchers emphasize that this Amazonian titanosaur was distinct from the Tyrannosaurus rex. The T. rex was a bipedal carnivorous theropod found primarily in North America, whereas the "Wakrayampi" was a quadrupedal herbivore from South America, living near the end of the Cretaceous period. The study clarifies that the Napo fossils do not indicate "Wakrayampi" was larger than a T. rex, only that it surpassed the size of Yamanasaurus lojaensis.

Part of the fossil material was lost after its initial discovery by locals Robert Román, Álvaro Román, and Germán Shiguango, as it was removed from the site without proper paleontological procedures. The discovery highlights the rich, yet fragile, paleontological potential of the Ecuadorian Amazon, a region currently facing its own crises related to violence and illegal mining.