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Community College (LRCCD)
Geology & Earth Science Instructor: Arthur Reed, P.G.
Happy Fossil
Friday!
Friday February 5, 2021
Dinosaur Unearthed in Argentina Could Be Largest Land
Animal Ever
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
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.
After you open this video click on the ‘setting’ icon
to choose ‘Subtitles’ then choose ‘Auto-translate’ and then your language. The translation is far from perfect but it
helps.
Approximate
location in Argentina where this fossil was found
NOTE:
Corrections are always appreciated!
Attribution: This page adapted from GNS Science