An Argentine palaeontologist claims to have unearthed remains of the world’s largest dinosaur. Jorge Calvo said he had found vertebrae of a giant sauropod, a type of herbivore, in Río Negro province, 750 miles south-west of Buenos Aires, that would have weighed 90-100 tonnes, stood about 52ft tall and was about 130ft long. Until yesterday, the internationally recognised largest dinosaur was the herbivorous Argentinosaurus, also discovered in Argentina’s Patagonia region. Weighing an estimated 80-100 tonnes, it was discovered in 1990. Earlier this month, palaeontologists in neighbouring Chubut province announced they had found a “Jurassic Park” of dinosaur remains that was “possibly the most significant find ever”.
That find, named after the dinosaur film, has generated excitement in palaeontological circles. It includes four unknown species of dinosaurs from the Jurassic period around 150-160 million years ago, one of the oldest known mammals, and a host of fossils of reptiles and ancient sea turtles. (From Mayra Pertossi In Buenos Aires, The Scotsman, Saturday, 24th February 2001)
Editorial Comment: Did you catch the “sea turtles”? We’ve photographed this type of land/sea mix flood deposit in many dino beds we’ve visited. Why not ask how did land dwelling dinosaurs get mixed with sea turtles? (Ref. dinos, flood deposits, Argentina)