Discovering the Chucarosaurus Diripienda: The Largest Dinosaur Ever Discovered in Patagonia
Key Highlights :
Argentine paleontologists have made an incredible discovery in the Pueblo Blanco Nature Reserve in Patagonia, unearthing the remains of a gigantic new species of long-necked herbivorous dinosaur. Dubbed the Chucarosaurus Diripienda, or “hard-boiled and scrambled”, the dinosaur is one of the largest ever discovered.
The Chucarosaurus is estimated to have weighed 50 tonnes and measured 30 meters in length. It lived in the Late Cretaceous period alongside predators, fish and sea turtles, and its femur bone spanned 1.90 meters and was split into three parts, each weighing over 100 kilograms.
The bones were so big that the van carrying them to a Buenos Aires laboratory tipped over, though fortunately no one was injured and the remains were left intact. Paleontologist Nicolas Chimento said scientists decided to name the dinosaur “Chucarosaurus Diripienda”, meaning hard-boiled and scrambled, because it had rolled around and survived the accident.
The Chucarosaurus is the largest-ever dinosaur discovered in the mountainous Rio Negro province and rivals other Patagonian giants in size and weight. However, characteristics in its hips, forelimbs and hindlimbs suggest it was more slender and graceful.
Patagonia was home to the world’s largest plant-eating dinosaurs such as the colossal Patagotitan mayorum, though scientists still do not know why species there grew so fast and in some cases never stopped growing throughout their lives.
Some 140 dinosaur species have been discovered in Argentina, which ranks among the world’s top three countries for research and discoveries alongside China and the United States. The studies were carried out by researchers from the Bernardino Rivadavia Museum of Natural Sciences, the Azara Foundation and national research council Conicet with support from the National Geographic Society.
The discovery of the Chucarosaurus Diripienda is an incredible find that sheds light on the evolution of dinosaurs and the environment in which they lived. It also highlights the importance of research and exploration in uncovering new species and understanding the history of our planet.
