In a groundbreaking discovery, paleontologists in Argentina have unearthed a new species of dinosaur named Sidersaura marae, a member of the Rebbachisauridae family.
This dinosaur, characterized by a long neck and a duck-beaked appearance, roamed the Earth approximately 90 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period, in today’s Patagonian region.
#Argentina | Paleontologists discovered a new species of long-necked, duck-beaked #Dinosaur that went extinct 90 million years ago in Patagonia, the Argentine government’s scientific and research agency CONICET said.
The fossil remains belong to four Rebbachisauridae dinosaurs… pic.twitter.com/iYZEBc5JPH
— DD India (@DDIndialive) January 5, 2024
The Discovery and Its Significance
An announcement from the Argentine scientific research agency, CONICET, revealed the location of the excavation site in the Neuquen province. The rock formations there date back to between 93 and 96 million years ago. The Sidersaura marae is a significant finding due to its size. Estimated to be 20 meters long and weighing around 15 tonnes, this dinosaur is the largest known member of the Rebbachisauridae family.
The fossil remains of four of these dinosaurs have been found, although the extraction process has posed a challenge. A large sandstone block, about two meters in size, covers the bones, making the process intricate. However, the discovery aids in deepening the understanding of dinosaur presence on Earth and their evolutionary history.
Adding to the Global Paleontological Record
This finding follows other significant paleontological discoveries worldwide. For instance, in 2023, a team from IIT-Roorkee and the Geological Survey of India (GSI) identified the oldest known dicraeosaurid dinosaur fossils in India. This marked the first discovery of a dicraeosaurid in the country, contributing to the global record of dinosaur evolution.