Buenos Aires (AFP)
The skeleton is not complete but the first elements analyzed suggest that the fossil remains discovered in 2012 in southwest Argentina are those of the largest dinosaur ever unearthed, according to a study published Wednesday.
"What has been found so far are the first 24 vertebrae of the tail, parts of the pelvic girdle, the pectoral girdle," said Alejandro Otero, lead author of the first paper on this titanosaur, a group of long-necked dinosaurs whose representatives are found on all continents, published in the scientific journal Cretaceous Research.
Mr Otero, however, explained that long bones such as the humerus or femur, which are traditionally used to make precise estimates of body mass, had not been extracted from the rock in which they are trapped.
Discovered in 2017, also in Argentina, the Patagotitan mayorum weighed around 70 tonnes, or 10 African elephants, was around 40 meters long and had a very long neck.
The anatomical analysis carried out "does not currently allow it to be considered as a new species," the researchers said in the report, "but the morphological disparity and the absence of equivalent elements compared to contemporary fossils also prevent us from attributing [the bones] to genres already known, "they point out.
The specimen was located almost by chance in 2012 in the middle of the valley of the Neuquén River, the most important watercourse in Argentinian Patagonia, but excavation work did not begin until 2015.
"It is a beautiful specimen because it is practically articulated and we have more than half the tail, a lot of hip bones. Now it is still mostly buried in the rock and we still have some for a few years of excavation. ", said José Luis Carballido, researcher who led the studies on Patagotitan.
"We suspect that the specimen may be able to be extracted complete or nearly complete. It will all depend on how the excavation proceeds. But beyond whether it is the largest or not, whether an articulated dinosaur appears, a dinosaur of these dimensions is something extraordinary, ”rejoices Alberto Garrido, director of the Museum of Natural Sciences in Zapala, in the province of Neuquén.
© 2021 AFP