Paleontologists in Argentina's remote Patagonia
region have discovered fossils of what was
likely the largest dinosaur ever to roam the
earth. The creature is believed to be a new
species of Titanosaur, a long-necked, long-tailed
sauropod that walked on four legs and lived
some 95 million years ago in the Cretaceous
Period. The dinosaur "weighed the equivalent
of more than 14 African elephants," or about
100 tonnes, said Jose Luis Carballido, a paleontologist
at the Egidio Feruglio Museum in the southern
Argentine city of Trelew. "This is a true
paleontological treasure," Carballido said
in a statement on Friday on the museum website.
"There are many remains and they were practically
intact, something that does not frequently
happen." Known fossils "of a giant Titanosaur
are scarce and fragmentary." Museum director
Ruben Cuneo told local media that the remains
belong to "the largest known specimen" of
its kind and "the most complete find of this
type of dinosaur in the world". The fossils
were accidentally discovered in 2011 by a
farm worker in a remote area in the Patagonian
province of Chubut, some 1,300 kilometers
(800 miles) south of Buenos Aires. The creature
was plant-eating and measured some 40 meters
from head to tail, Cuneo said. Photos posted
on the museum website show a fossilized femur
larger than the paleontologist pictured next
to it. Experts believe that the remains of
seven dinosaurs, as well as the broken teeth
of carnivores, are among the 200 fossils found
at the Chubut site where the giant femur was
found.
