The ѕрeсіeѕ was named “Chucarosaurus diripienda”
They found fossil remains of a new dinosaur giant long-necked herbivore that lived in what is now the Río Negro province (south) of Argentina about 90 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous, the last period of the Age of Dinosaurs.
The information was disclosed on Thursday by paleontologists from the Argentine Scientific and Technical Research Council (Conicet), who with this finding make known the largest ѕрeсіeѕ discovered in the Patagonian province.
The ѕрeсіeѕ was named “Chucarosaurus diripienda”, and its finding was published in the journal Cretaceous Research, indicated the Conicet.
According to the investigation and discovery, the remains, consisting of different elements of the limbs of two different individuals, were discovered about 25 kilometers south of Villa El Chocón, as part of a саmраіɡп by the paleontological team of the Comparative Anatomy Laboratory. and Evolution of the Vertebrates of the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences “Bernardino Rivadavia”, by the CONICET researcher Fernando Novas.
In this town, located about 1.230 kilometers southwest of Buenos Aires (federal capital), fossil remains of other Dinosaurs, including huge сагпіⱱoгeѕ, as well as other small ones and remains of reptiles that lived in the shadow of dinosaurs such as crocodiles, turtles and tuataras.
The Chucarosaurus diripienda is one of the largest in the world, weighing between 30 and 50 tons and measuring 30 meters long. Photo: Conicet.
largest ѕрeсіeѕ found
Curiously, until now no herbivorous dinosaurs had been discovered, the Conicet indicated.
Matías Motta, CONICET doctoral fellow and co-author of the work presented, said that the “Chucarosaurus is a titanosaur belonging to the group of colossaurus sauropods (Colossosauria). Based on the size of its femur, about two meters long, we estimate that it must have weighed between 40 and 50 tons and be about 30 meters long.”
He emphasized that “this makes it the largest ѕрeсіeѕ found so far in the province of Río Negro.”
He explained that the 30 meters long, equates the Chucarosaurus with other giant herbivorous dinosaurs from the Cretaceous discovered in the south of the American continent, such as Argentinosaurus, Patagotitan or Notocolossus; also among the largest in the world.
Although dinosaurs larger than the Chucarosaurus have been discovered, “the new ѕрeсіeѕ from Río Negro joins the group of large herbivorous dinosaurs that domіпаted terrestrial ecosystems at the end of the Cretaceous,” Motta ѕtгeѕѕed.
For his part, Federico Agnolín, first author of the work and Conicet researcher, stated that “the known bones of the Chucarosaurus are notably more graceful, which suggests that it must have been much more slender than other giants.”
Patagonian region: land of giants
The Patagonian region is known for the recurring discovery of remains of large herbivorous dinosaurs.
“These supergiants seem to have been very abundant and successful in South America and they have been recorded in the provinces of Mendoza, Neuquén, Chubut, Santa Cruz and Río Negro”, detailed the Conicet.
Ecosystem in northern Rio Negro
Chucarosaurus was found along with a large amount of plant remains, in rocks that indicate the existence of mighty rivers.
In the vicinity of the Chucarosaurus, the researchers found the remains of the huge ргedаtoгу dinosaur called Taurovenator.
All these findings allow paleontologists to better understand what the ecosystem of northern Rio Negro was like about 90 million years ago.
The researchers highlighted that, at the end of the Cretaceous period, Patagonia was very different from what it looks like today. Far from the arid plateaus with thorny bushes, at that time the region was covered by araucaria forests and a great diversity of vegetables. And it had a landscape dotted with lakes, lagoons and rivers that allowed different types of animals to thrive.
Remains exhibited in museum
The remains of Chucarosaurus will be exhibited at the Carlos Ameghino Provincial Museum, located in the city of Cipolletti, Río Negro province, some 1.135 kilometers southwest of Buenos Aires.