A brand new species of dinosaur, Chucarosaurus diripienda, has been found in Argentina.
An enormous, even amongst dinosaurs, the brand new species belonged to a bunch often called Titanosaurs, which incorporates a number of the largest dinosaurs ever to have lived.
The fossilized bones of Chucarosaurus diripienda had been so large that the van carrying them tipped over whereas on its option to the laboratory.
Like different Titanosaurs, Chucarosaurus diripienda was a long-necked, long-tailed, herbivorous dinosaur that walked on 4 sturdy legs. The new species is estimated to have weighed 50 tonnes, and to have been round 30 meters in size.
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Discovery Of Chucarosaurus diripienda
Chucarosaurus diripienda was found in rocks of Argentina’s Huincul Formation, a geological formation positioned within the Neuquén Basin, Rio Negro Province, Northwestern Patagonia.
The fossils had been first found in 2018, and the scientific paper (supply) describing the brand new dinosaur was printed by Federico Agnolin of the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales and colleagues in early 2023.
As is the case with many dinosaur discoveries, the fossilized stays of Chucarosaurus diripienda had been incomplete; all that remained of the large dinosaur had been numerous limb bones and a part of the pelvis.
The specimen was given the reference MPCA PV 820. From this, and one other, even less-complete specimen (reference MPCA PV 821), discovered inside 200 m of the primary, researchers had been ready constructed up a whole image of Chucarosaurus diripienda.
Chucarosaurus diripienda
Chucarosaurus diripienda belonged to a bunch of dinosaurs often called Titanosaurs, which itself is a component of a bigger group often called sauropods.
Sauropod dinosaurs had been a bunch of long-necked, long-tailed, quadrupedal herbivores. Among the most well-known sauropods embody Diplodocus, Brachiosaurus, and Argentinosaurus.
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Characterised by their colossal dimension, small heads relative to their our bodies, column-like legs, and tooth tailored for a plant-based weight loss plan, sauropods dominated many Jurassic and Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems.
Chucarosaurus diripienda itself had an estimated weight of fifty tonnes, which is round eight instances that of a male African bush elephant. Its size was an estimated 30 meters, the identical as that of a blue whale, the world’s largest dwelling animal.
The identify Chucarosaurus diripienda refers back to the accident which noticed the van carrying the dinosaur’s stays tip over whereas en path to the laboratory. “Chucarosaurus” means “arduous and indomitable reptile”, whereas “diripienda” means “scrambled”.
Titanosaurs
Titanosaurs had been a bunch of sauropod dinosaurs that thrived through the Cretaceous interval, identified specifically for his or her outstanding dimension.
Though discovered throughout the globe, Titanosaurs are significantly well-represented within the fossil file of the Southern Hemisphere.
Most titanosaurs had been characterised by lengthy necks and tails, with a cumbersome physique supported by 4 column-like legs. Regardless of their uniform physique plan, the group confirmed a outstanding range in dimension, starting from species as small as a pony to a number of the largest terrestrial animals that ever lived, corresponding to Argentinosaurus and Patagotitan.
Some titanosaurs, corresponding to Saltasaurus, possessed a type of physique armor consisting of small, bony plates often called osteoderms embedded within the pores and skin.
Because the final surviving group of long-necked dinosaurs, titanosaurs characterize the ultimate burst of sauropod evolution, present till the end-Cretaceous extinction occasion roughly 66 million years in the past.
The Huincul Formation
The Huincul Formation is a geologic formation positioned within the Neuquén Basin in Argentina, South America. This formation, which dates again to the Late Cretaceous interval, roughly 95 to 100 million years in the past, is famend for its wealthy fossil file, particularly for its various dinosaur fauna.
Notable dinosaur species found within the Huincul Formation embody carnivorous theropods corresponding to Giganotosaurus and Mapusaurus, each among the many largest predatory dinosaurs identified.
Moreover, the formation has yielded stays of a wide range of titanosaurs, together with Argentinosaurus, one of many largest dinosaurs ever found.
The excessive focus of dinosaur fossils on the Huincul Formation has made it a vital web site for understanding dinosaur range and ecology through the Cretaceous interval.
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