New sauropod discovered

[tyrantqueen]

And it's a big one

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27441156

Not sure if this is news or not...but there you go.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

And it's a big one

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27441156

Not sure if this is news or not...but there you go.

Amazing find !! thanks for posting that TQ !!!

[SpittersForEver]

Wow, that is big. A seven story building is huge!!!!

[Scipionyx]

Sounds interesting! Strangely, the news report on television I watched a few hours ago said that it was likely 6 metres tall and 40 metres long... Perhaps that was a mistake?

[Balaur]

Wow! Argentina is full of giants! Love it!

Okay, I just have to say this. BBC article was good. However, another report came from Discovery news. It talked about Zby and Leinkupal. They said the following about Leinkupal: "The size of L. laticauda hasn't been confirmed yet, but being a diplodocid it hast to be huge."

Are they not even listening? Sorry, I just really get angry at this.

[tyrantqueen]

I wonder what evolutionary advantages there were to growing to be so huge. Maybe there were really tall trees in prehistoric South America.

[SpittersForEver]

Sounds interesting! Strangely, the news report on television I watched a few hours ago said that it was likely 6 metres tall and 40 metres long... Perhaps that was a mistake?

It says that it was 20m tall which is equal to a 7 storey building if you look again.

[Yutyrannus]

I wonder what evolutionary advantages there were to growing to be so huge. Maybe there were really tall trees in prehistoric South America.

Agreed, it is quite intriguing.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

The size may not have as much to do with evolutionary advantage as simple genetics. Crocodiles by example never stop growing until they die. While the growth curve slows as the animal ages it does continue growing. Since we do not know for certain the lifespan of such massive dinosaurs it is quite possible they did the same thing. Once it hits a certain size, it is unlikely any predator or normal everyday occurrence would cause its demise, making such animals all but impervious to anything except old age eventually. If they were long-lived, size would become extreme and the norm for them. This could be perhaps considered an advantage in itself..longevity.

[Scipionyx]

Sounds interesting! Strangely, the news report on television I watched a few hours ago said that it was likely 6 metres tall and 40 metres long... Perhaps that was a mistake?

It says that it was 20m tall which is equal to a 7 storey building if you look again.

I think we must have been looking at different news reports.

[SpittersForEver]

On the one that TQ posted it says that.

[Scipionyx]

Sorry if I wasn't clear; I was referring to a report I'd seen on television.

[ofmp]

Hi folks, I left a link that talks a bit more about this new giant found in my country, this makes me very happy ...
The note is in Spanish. Hope you like it.
http://www.infobae.com/2014/05/18/1565386-encontraron-mas-dinosaurios-chubut-y-analizan-si-la-zona-es-un-cementerio-paleontologico

[Tyto_Theropod]

It's been announced that the new Sauropod will be named Dreadnoughtus schrani. According to the below article, it's been estimated at around 26 metres long, smaller than initially reported and than the estimated size for Argentinosaurus huinculensis. Perhaps this will change our estimates of the less complete Argentinosaurus? But also according to the article, the specimen was a juvenile and was still growing when it died! So if we can rely on this popular media article, we've got to ask ourselves: how much bigger would this behemoth have got?

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/04/battleship-beast-colossal-dinosaur-skeleton-found-patagonia-argentina-dreadnoughtus-schrani

[Newt]

https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014AM/finalprogram/abstract_247946.htm

So, nothing published yet, just an announcement for a 15 minute conference presentation to take place next month.

[Hermes888]

I worked on this!

I was volunteering in the Fossil Prep Lab while this was in the Academy of Natural Sciences two years ago! I got to surface clean and piece while I was there. Glad to see that it's finally been published.

[Newt]

Here's the paper!

http://www.nature.com/srep/2014/140904/srep06196/full/srep06196.html

[DinoLord]

Thanks for the link!

To think this dinosaur wasn't even mature really makes one wonder... There were probably all sorts of true giants during the Mesozoic that never got fossilized or are simply waiting to be discovered.

[Balaur]

Hmmm.... Interesting. I don't think it's the giant one that the thread was made for. Their two different dinosaurs I think.

Edit: From what I've seen, their not the same animal. Still, Dreadnoughtus. I'll do this once. OH. MY. GOD. If a juvenile is that big, the adults were...... Aaahh!!! It's too big for me to comprehend!!! But why are all the giants in South America?

[Wellnhoferia]

Makes me think that perhaps the size of amphicoelias may not have been exaggerated as much as it's believed when compared to the size of this sauropod..