The world of yesteryear was so remote and different from the planet we know today, that sometimes being faced with sensational discoveries like the one we are about to describe leaves us not only mesmerized but also rather disoriented.
Isn’t it impressive to think of creatures that trod the ground millions and millions of years ago, with quite impressive characteristics and dimensions? We’re sure the answer is yes, especially after getting to know the titanosaur discovered in Patagonia up close, possibly the largest land animal that ever existed.
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image credit: CTys Agency
As usual, the analysis of areas particularly rich in fossils gives rise to sensational and fascinating discoveries. In this case, however, the discovery provided scientists with incredible clues that were truly out of the ordinary. The excavations, which began in 2015, took place in a rock formation called Candeleros, in the province of Neuquen, Argentina’s Patagonia.
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image credit: William Irvin Sellers, Lee Margetts, Rodolfo Aníbal Coria, Phillip Lars Manning/Wikimedia – Not the actual photo
It was years before experts could piece together as best they could the characteristics and origins of the mysterious creature whose vertebrae and bones they were discovering. It would be simplistic to call it a “dinosaur”: with a length of over 40 meters and an estimated weight of over 110 tonnes, it is not wrong to speak of a “titanosaur”. Here in Patagonia, the remains of some of the largest known land specimens have been found.
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image credit: Conicet.gov.ar
It’s already clear that this one, in particular, surpasses others in size, so much so that archaeologists have made it clear that it may well be the largest animal that has ever walked on earth. The fossil sediment from which the remains gradually emerge dates back to around 98 million years ago, and apparently at that time, these sauropods enjoyed absolute dominance over other beings in the area, and not only.
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image credit: Conicet.gov.ar
Fascinating, isn’t it? You just have to wait for the end of the excavations to understand the true extent of this colossal prehistoric creature!
Source used:
http://www.ctys.com.ar/index.php?idPage=20&idArticulo=3772
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/19/americas/dinosaur-largest-titanosaur-intl-scli-scn/