Tuesday, October 16, 2007

New Dinosaur Species Found in Argentina

In Argentina a skeleton of a new dinosaur was found. The dinosaur was 105 feet long and a plant eater. It is one of the largest dinosaurs found in Argentina. It was named Futalognkosaurus dukei after the Mapuche Indian words “giant” and “chief” and for the Duke Energy Argentina that helped to financially fund the excavation of the skeleton.

Paleontologists have already dug up the dinosaur’s neck, back region, hips, and the first vertebra of its tail. The neck is estimated to be 56 feet long and the tail was about 49 feet long. The weight of the spinal column was 9 tons. Even though they have found most of its bones they still have to find the bones of its arms and legs. The other two largest dinosaurs were also found in Argentina. The Argentinosaurus was115 feet long and the Puertasaurus reuili was between 115 to 131 feet long.

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