Dinosaur fossils in Argentina could belong to the world's largest ever creature
Experts have uncovered the remains of a gigantic dinosaur in Argentina, and believe it could be one of the largest creatures to have ever walked the Earth.
Paleontologists discovered the fossilized remains of a 98 million-year-old titanosaur in Neuquén Province in Argentina's Patagonia, in thick, sedimentary deposits known as the Candeleros Formation.
The 24 vertebrae of the tail and elements of the pelvic and pectoral girdle discovered are thought to belong to a titanosaur, a diverse group of sauropod dinosaurs, characterized by their large size, a long neck and tail, and four-legged stance.
In research published in the journal Cretaceous Research, experts say they believe the creature to be "one of the largest sauropods ever found" and could exceed the size of a Patagotitan, a species which lived 100 million to 95 million years ago and measured up to a staggering 37.2 meters (122 feet) long.
The research was conducted by Argentina's Zapala, La Plata and Egidio Feruglio museums, and the universities of Río Negro (Argentina) and Zaragoza (Spain).
At: https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/new-patagonian-dinosaur-may-be-largest-yet-scientists.phtml
Paleontologists unearth fossilized remains of a 98 million-year-old titanosaur in Neuquén Province in Argentina's Patagonia.
The specimen appears to be 10-20% larger than those attributed to Patagotitan Mayorum - the largest dinosaur found to date.
Researchers said that, while they don't believe the creature to belong to a new species, they have so far been unable to assign it to a known genus of dinosaur.
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The skeleton is still far from complete but paleontologists say what they’ve found suggests the dinosaur may be more than 120 feet long
A paleontologist excavating a 98 million-year-old fossil which may belong to the largest land animal ever. Researchers first started unearthing the creatures remains in 2012 at the Candeleros Formation in the Neuquen River Valley, Argentina. (CTyS-UNLaM Science Outreach Agency)
By Alex Fox
SMITHSONIANMAG.COM
JANUARY 22, 2021 3:31PM
The fossilized bones of what may have been the largest animal ever to walk the Earth are slowly emerging from the ground in Argentina, reports Amy Woodyatt for CNN.
Beginning in 2012, paleontologists set about excavating a hulking set of 24 vertebrae as well as elements of the pelvis and pectoral girdle from the Candeleros Formation in Argentina’s Neuquén Province. At first, it wasn’t clear to researchers what they’d found, only that it was enormous. Now, in a new paper published this month in the journal Cretaceous Research, paleontologists say the remains suggest a type of long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur called a titanosaur, potentially the largest ever unearthed.
They can’t yet speculate as to whether the gigantic bones belong to a known species or something new entirely, but, per CNN, the team says that the specimen could be even bigger than a 122-foot, nearly 70-ton titanosaur called Patagontitan.
Researchers have dated the new specimen to around 98 million years ago, reports Harry Baker for Live Science.
More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dinosaur-unearthed-argentina-could-be-largest-land-animal-ever-180976813/