A huge dinosaur that roamed around Argentina 100 million years ago was so big that its femur bone had to be divided three times, with each weighing 100 kilograms. It took multiple individuals to lift it, and the van that carried the bones tipped over.
One of the Biggest Dinosaurs Unearthed
When we think of massive dinos, T. Rex, Triceratops, or Stegosaurus immediately come to mind. However, they pale compared to Chucarosaurus Diripienda, which weighed 50 tonnes and measured 30 meters or nearly twice the size of a London bus, Daily Mail reported.
Scientists discovered its bones in the Pueblo Blanco Nature Reserve in 2018, and they were so large that the van carrying them toppled.
The dinosaur was given the name Chucarosaurus Diripienda, which translates to "hard-boiled and scrambled," in honor of the vehicle, which fortunately survived the collision.
According to paleontologist Nicolas Chimento, the creature is among the biggest ever found.
Chucarosaurus Diripienda would have coexisted with other predators, fish, and sea turtles during the Late Cretaceous period, which lasted from 100.5 million to 66 million years ago.
Its 6.2-foot-long (1.9-meter) femur bone was divided into three pieces, each weighing over 220 pounds (100 kilograms) and requiring at least three persons to lift.
The largest plant-eating dinosaurs worldwide, including the enormous Patagotitan mayorum, the largest dinosaur yet found, lived in Patagonia.
Scientists are still unsure of why certain species developed so quickly and, in some cases, continued to grow throughout their lives.
Although the sauropod Chucarosaurus equaled other Patagonian giants in height and weight, the traits of its hips, forelimbs, and hindlimbs suggested it was more slender and graceful, according to paleontologist Matias Motta.
Argentina, which ranks in the top three countries worldwide for research and discoveries alongside China and the United States, has identified about 140 dinosaur species.
Researchers from the Azara Foundation, the National Research Council Conicet, and the Bernardino Rivadavia Museum of Natural Sciences, with support from the National Geographic Society, conducted the study.
More About Chucasaurus Diripienda
From the Early Cretaceous until the Late Cretaceous, these enormous animals inhabited South America. Chucarosaurus diripienda is one of the few dinosaur species known to have existed in the area, and its fossil remains were found in Patagonia, Argentina.
The comparatively thin fore and hindlimbs of Chucarosaurus diripienda are one of its most distinctive characteristics. In contrast, several other sauropods are distinguished by their large, powerful legs, according to IASPOINT.
Chucarosaurus diripienda's appendicular bones were discovered to be morphologically instructive, making them an essential source of phylogenetic information. Paleontologists can use this knowledge to understand better sauropods' evolution and how they interact with other dinosaur species.
Paleontology made exciting progress with the discovery of Chucarosaurus diripienda. It offers important information on the variety of dinosaurs that lived in the area throughout the Late Cretaceous epoch as one of the few dinosaur species known to have lived in South America.
Chucarosaurus diripienda's morphologically insightful appendicular bones also make it an essential source of phylogenetic information, which can aid paleontologists in better understanding the evolutionary history of sauropods and their connections to other dinosaur species.
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