Saltasaurus (which means "lizard from Salta") is a genus of titanosaurid sauropod dinosaur of the Late Cretaceous Period. Relatively small among sauropods, though still massive by the standards of modern creatures, Saltasaurus was characterized by a diplodocid-like head (with blunt teeth, only in the front of the mouth). It was the first genus of sauropod known to possess armour of bony plates embedded in its skin. The small bony plates (called osteoderms, a feature of modern crocodiles) have since been found on other titanosaurids. When the plates of a saltasaur were originally found, independently of skeletal remains, they were assumed to be from an ankylosaurian, whose plates they resemble. A crest of scutes has also been discovered running down the back of diplodocid sauropods.