The gigantic age of the dinosaurs, when gigantic creatures roamed the wilderness of the primordial Earth, was a time populated by countless colossal beasts, but few larger than the animals called titanosaurs.
These gigantic Cretaceous monsters belonged to a diverse and dominant group of sauropod dinosaurs all defined by their XXL size, long necks and tails, and four-legged body structure.
Now, a team of South American paleontologists has unearthed the fossil remains of a massive 98-million-year-old titanosaurus in the Neuquén province of northwestern Patagonia, and it may be the largest terrestrial dinosaur specimen ever discovered.
Led by researchers from the Zapala Museum, Museo de La Plata, Museo Egidio Feruglio, and the universities of Río Negro and Zaragoza, the fossil remains were extracted from the site’s dense sedimentary deposits known as the Candeleros Formation.
As described in a new study published in the online journal Cretaceous Research, the fossil’s 24 caudal vertebrae and parts of the pelvic and chest girdles that have been excavated are believed to belong to a new titanosaurus whose enormous size is that of previously discovered mega-relatives. such as Patagotitan.
That terrestrial giant, first cataloged in 2008 and found in the desert near La Flecha, lived 100 million to 95 million years ago and was a whopping 30 meters long.
Another immense titanosaurus, excavated in southwestern Argentina in 1987 and officially titled Argentinosaurus, grew 40 meters in length and weighed more than 110 tons, about the weight of an average adult blue whale. This latest Patagonian specimen could potentially beat the body weight stats of that previous world record holder.
“It’s a huge dinosaur, but we expect to find much more of the skeleton on future excursions, so we’ll have the opportunity to confidently discuss how big it was,” study co-author Alejandro Otero of the Museo de Argentina La Plata told CNN.
Remains of Titanosaurs are not relegated to modern South America, and bones have been excavated all over the world, on every continent except Antarctica. By far the greatest treasure of the largest beasts, weighing more than 40 tons, has been found in the Patagonia region.
“In addition to overall size, the bones are articulated,” team member José Luis Carballido wrote in the museum’s official Facebook announcement. “Something we have not seen so far in dinosaurs of this size. For now we find the articular vertebrae of the caudal and hip bones. Phylogenetic analysis shows us that it is a basal form of the Patagotitan bloodline known as Lognkosauria,” a group of South American titanosaurs. “
To make a more accurate estimate of this titanosaurus’ ultimate size, scientists will continue to delve into its evolutionary mysteries, but preliminary data reveals that it is likely larger than Patagotitan majorum and likely its record as the largest terrestrial creature to ever have walking around will darken. the earth.
“The studied bones of this new sauropod are larger than those of Patagotitan, but because we don’t have a femur and humerus, we can’t calculate body weight,” Carballido notes in the same official post. “So any comparison we make is inconclusive.”