Editing Saltasaurus (section)

==Palaeobiology==
[[File:Saltasaurus loricatus egg.JPG|thumb|Egg on display at the [[North American Museum of Ancient Life]]]]
Like all sauropods, ''Saltasaurus'' was [[herbivore|herbivorous]]. Because of its barrel-like rump, shaped like a [[hippopotamus]], Powell suggested that ''Saltasaurus'' was aquatic. Despite its small stature, ''Saltasaurus'' was still graviportal like other sauropods, meaning it could not run because its hindlimbs had to be held straight at the load-bearing phase of their walking cycle. Powell assumed adult individuals were protected against predators by their body armour, while juveniles were protected by the herd as a whole.<ref name="Powell1992"/>

In the [[Cretaceous]] Period, sauropods in [[North America]] were no longer the dominant group of herbivorous dinosaurs with the exception of ''[[Alamosaurus]]'', with the ornithopod and ceratopsian dinosaurs, such as ''[[Edmontosaurus]]'' and ''[[Triceratops]]'', becoming the most abundant (this being most evident by the Late Cretaceous epoch). However, on other landmasses such as [[South America]] and [[Africa]] (which were island [[continents]] much like modern [[Australia]]) sauropods, in particular the [[titanosaur]]s, continued to be the dominant herbivores.

''Saltasaurus'' was one such titanosaur sauropod, and lived around 70&nbsp;[[million years ago]]. When it was first discovered, in 1975, it forced [[palaeontologist]]s to reconsider some assumptions about sauropods as ''Saltasaurus'' possessed crocodile-like armour (osteoderms) 10 to 12&nbsp;centimetres (4 to 5&nbsp;in) in diameter. Previously, it had been assumed that size alone was sufficient defence for the massive sauropods. Since then, palaeontologists have investigated the possibility that other sauropods may also have had armour; for example,  ''[[Laplatasaurus]]''.

A new discovery, from another formation, may shed light on the nesting habits of ''Saltasaurus''. A large titanosaurid [[nest]]ing ground was discovered in Auca Mahuevo, in [[Patagonia]], [[Argentina]] (another titanosaur nesting site has reportedly been discovered in [[Spain]]). Several hundred female saltasaurines dug holes with their back feet, laid eggs in clutches averaging around 25 eggs each, and buried the nests under dirt and vegetation. The small [[egg (biology)|egg]]s, about 11&ndash;12&nbsp;cm (4&ndash;5&nbsp;in) in [[diameter]], contained [[fossil]]ised [[embryo]]s, complete with [[skin]] impressions showing a mosaic armour of small bead-like scales. The armour pattern resembled that of ''Saltasaurus''.<ref name="coria-chiappe-2007" />