Argentine paleontologists unveiled this Wednesday (27) the discovery of the fossilized remains of the largest dinosaur of the “megaraptor” family.
The dinosaur, a new species called Maip macrothorax, had underneath 9 and 10 meters longunlike most others”megaraptors“, which did not reach more than 9 meters.
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The animal was presented in the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences “Bernardino Rivadavia” (MACN).
According to the research team, the characteristics of this new dinosaur are unprecedented because, in addition to its unique size, it weighed about five tons and its spine consisted of huge vertebrae connected by a complex system of muscles, tendons and ligaments. which the team was able to reconstruct from a series of grooves and roughnesses in their joint regions.
“This animal is very large and we were able to recover many parts,” one of those responsible for the discovery, researcher Mauro Aranciaga Rolando, told Reuters.
2 of 2 Maip macrothorax silhouette with preserved bones in white. — Photo: A large Megaraptoridae (Theropod: Coelurosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Patagonia, Argentina
Silhouette of Maip’s macrothorax with preserved bones in white. — Photo: A large Megaraptoridae (Theropod: Coelurosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Patagonia, Argentina
The fossils were discovered in Patagonia’s Santa Cruz province in March 2019, days before the application of the sanitary restrictions of the Covid19 pandemic in Argentina, the country’s National Council for Scientific and Technical Research said. The authors include experts who study the dinosaur have found.
In addition to the group, two Japanese scientists also participated in the study. Because of the pandemic, paleontologists first had to distribute the fossils among themselves and analyze them at home.
The carnivorous dinosaur is believed to have lived on what is now Argentina’s southern tip 70 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period.
Megaraptors are animals with an agile skeleton, a long tail that allows them to maneuver and balance, a long neck, and an elongated skull with more than 60 small teeth, Aranciaga Rolando added.
The researcher also told Argentine agency CtyS that the new species’ name comes from Tehuelche mythology, a creature that lived in the mountains and used the cold to kill.