Huge species of dinosaurs discovered in Chile

Chilean paleontologists announced Monday the discovery of a new species of giant dinosaur called Arackar licanantay.

The dinosaur belongs to the family tree of titanosaur dinosaurs, but is unique in the world due to the characteristics of its dorsal vertebrae.

Arackar licanantay – an indigenous Kunza language name meaning “Atacameño bones” – lived in what is now the Atacama Region at the end of the Cretaceous period, 80 to 66 million years ago.

The fossil specimen belongs to a large, quadrupedal herbivore about 6.3 meters (20’8 “) long, but scientists have determined that the remains belong to a young man.

It is estimated that adults have grown up to 8 meters in length (26 ‘).

The bones – femur, humerus, ischium and vertebral elements of the neck and back – were first discovered in the 1990s by geologist Carlos Arévalo.

Arévalo excavated the specimen with experts from the National Geological and Mining Service of Chile, during an excavation located 75 kilometers south of the city of Copiapó, in the Atacama region.

David Rubilar, head of the paleontology department at the National Museum of Natural History of Chile (MNHN), led the team responsible for the discovery, consisting of experts from the National Museum of Natural History of Chile, the Paleontological Network of the University of Chile and the National University Dinosaur Laboratory. from Argentina, to Cuyo, Argentina.

The discovery of a new species of dinosaur was officially announced in an article published in the journal Cretaceous research.

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