Saturday, May 17, 2014

Bones of real Godzilla found in Patagonia

Pay attention Steven Spielberg, this one may need an entire continent. A Godzilla-sized fossil found in Argentina is from a dinosaur that stood more than 60-feet high, towering over T Rex, and at least 14,000 pounds heavier than the largest specimen ever found, Argentinosaurus.
The BBC and Guardian report the dinosaur is a titanosaur, an animal that lived during the last days of dinosaurs.
The animal’s bones were found in Patagonia, at the literal end of the earth.
Seven specimens were found, the largest weighing more than 154,000 pounds, 150 miles west of the city of Trelew.
"Given the size of these bones, which surpass any of the previously known giant animals, the new dinosaur is the largest animal known that walked on Earth," researchers from Museum of Palaeontology Egidio Feruglio, told BBC News.
"Its length, from its head to the tip of its tail, was 120 feet. Standing with its neck up, it was about 20m high. Fortunately for its neighbors the animal ate plants. Godzilla, the screen character, feasted on radiation but would also eat humans.
Seven specimens were found, the largest weighing more than 154,000 pounds, 150 miles west of the city of Trelew.

"Given the size of these bones, which surpass any of the previously known giant animals, the new dinosaur is the largest animal known that walked on Earth," researchers from Museum of Palaeontology Egidio Feruglio, told BBC News.
"Its length, from its head to the tip of its tail, was 120 feet. Standing with its neck up, it was about 20m high - equal to a seven-story building."
The herbivore doesn’t have a name yet, though previously such animals have been known as sauropods.
“It will be named describing its magnificence and in honor to both the region and the farm owners who alerted us about the discovery," the researchers said.
“It's the largest example ever found," said Ruben Cuneo, director of the Feruglio Museum.
Other scientists also will have to verify its size.
Dr Paul Barrett, a London's Natural History Museum dinosaur expert, said the new species is "a genuinely big critter. But there are a number of similarly sized big sauropod thigh bones out there… ideally we'd need much more material of these supersized animals to determine just how big they really got."
The fossil remains are believed to be 90-million years old, and the creatures lived in forests in the area.

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