Paleontologists in Argentina have uncovered the remains of a gigantic dinosaur that they say may be one of the largest to ever walk the Earth. The researchers stumbled upon the fossilized remains of the 98 million-year-old creature in Neuquén Province in Argentina’s northwest Patagonia.
While the skeleton is not complete, the 24 vertebrae of the tail and elements of the pelvic and pectoral girdle suggest that the fossil remains are those of the largest dinosaur ever unearthed. It seems to have belonged to a titanosaur — a diverse group of sauropod dinosaurs, which are known for their large size, a long neck and tail, and four-legged stance.
In a study published in the journal Cretaceous Research, the researchers say that the creature could rival the size of a Patagotitan, a species that lived around 100 million years ago and measured up to a mind-boggling 37.2 meters (122 feet) long.
“It is a huge dinosaur, but we expect to find much more of the skeleton in future field trips, so we’ll have the possibility to address with confidence how really big it was,” said Alejandro Otero, a paleontologist with Argentina’s Museo de La Plata.
