Tapuiasaurus is a type of dinosaur that lived a long time ago, during the Lower Cretaceous period, around 125 million years ago. It was found in what is now Minas Gerais, Brazil.
The name Tapuiasaurus means “Tapuia lizard.” Scientists discovered its fossils, which include parts of its skeleton and a nearly complete skull, in a place called the Quiricó Formation in Brazil.
A team of researchers, led by Hussam Zaher and including other scientists like Diego Pol and Paulo Nascimento, named this dinosaur in 2011. The official name given to this species is Tapuiasaurus macedoi.
When it comes to classification, Tapuiasaurus is part of a big family of dinosaurs called Titanosaurs. At first, scientists thought it belonged to a different family, but later studies showed that it is more closely related to some other dinosaurs from the same region, like Isisaurus and Rapetosaurus.
Overall, Tapuiasaurus gives us important clues about the kinds of dinosaurs that roamed the Earth millions of years ago and how they are all connected.