Palaeontology

New dinosaur species discovered in Argentina

By T.K. Randall
November 4, 2018 ·  3 comments

Lavocatisaurus grew to at least 12 meters in length. Image Credit: Agencia CTyS / Emanuel Pujol Discovered at a site in the Argentinian province of Neuquen, the new species, which has been named Lavocatisaurus agrioensi, was a type of long-necked plant-eating sauropod dinosaur.

Fossils belonging to a total of three individuals - one adult and two juveniles - were found at the site.

"We found most of the cranial bones: the snout, the jaws, a lot of teeth, also the bones that define the eye sockets for example and, in that way, we were able to create an almost complete reconstruction," researcher Dr. Jose Luis Carballido told Agence France-Presse.What makes the discovery particularly interesting is the fact that the fossils were unearthed in a region that was thought to have been a barren desert when these dinosaurs were alive.

"While one can imagine that this group of sauropods could have adapted to move in more arid environments, with little vegetation, little humidity and little water," said Dr. Carballido.

"It's an area in which you wouldn't be looking for fossils."

A video (in Spanish) with some photographs from the excavation can be viewed below.


Source: Independent | Comments (3)

Tags: Dinosaur