Prehistoric ‘gentle giant' — nearly 23 feet long — found in Argentina. See new species
Nearly 80 million years ago, a small pond oasis was home to a variety of creatures both in the water and on land.
Tropical air-breathing snails lined its shores and shelled creatures lay just below the surface.
The water hole was surrounded by palm trees and sand dunes during the late Cretaceous period, but since then, the environment has changed drastically.
Today, this area is known as the Anacleto Formation in northern Patagonia in Argentina and consists of a massive salt flat.
It's also the site of a new prehistoric species discovery.
A group of paleontologists and researchers from Argentina and Uruguay, led by National Geographic explorer Diego Pol, were working in the salt flats when they discovered fossilized bones, according to a March 5 news release from National Geographic.
Paleontologists uncovered nine vertebrae, parts of the front leg, and part of the pelvis and bones from the back legs, as well as toes that couldn't be attributed to one limb, according to a study published March 5 in the peer-reviewed journal Revista del Museo Argentino Ciencias Naturales.
The bones belonged to a new species of titanosaur, a long-necked and herbivorous dinosaur considered a 'gentle giant,' researchers said.
Chadititan calvoi, or the 'titan of the salt,' was a 'very small and gracile-built' titanosaur compared to other related species, according to the study.
Based on the lengths of the bones discovered, the animal was likely about 23 feet long, researchers said, while other titanosaurs could reach lengths of up to 100 feet long.
The dinosaur's 'slender' body was evident from 'its well-preserved bones' that show 'it had elongated (vertebrae) and delicate limb bones that set it apart from its relatives,' according to National Geographic.
While the new species was the most significant part of the paleontologists' discovery, they found other evidence of prehistoric life at the same site.
'In addition to Chadititan, the fossils we identified of mollusks, fish and turtles enriches our understanding of this ancient ecosystem and expands our knowledge of life in Patagonia near the end of the dinosaur era,' Pol said in the release. 'In this case, the abundance of turtles and scarcity of crocodiles compared to regions in Europe and North America during the same period further highlights how Patagonia ecosystems were distinct as the continents drifted apart during the Cretaceous.'
The fossils and Anacleto Formation were dated to roughly 78 million years ago, researchers said.
'One of the most remarkable aspects of the discovered fauna is the overwhelming abundance of freshwater turtles, which make up more than 90% of the recovered fossils. This percentage is highly unusual,' said Federico Agnolin, the first author on the paper.
Pol's work in Patagonia has yielded exciting results before.
In April, National Geographic announced the discovery of another new species of small titanosaur found at the La Colonia Formation in Patagonia by Pol and his team, McClatchy News reported.
The team did it again in May, announcing the discovery of a new species of abelisaurid, a short-armed predator, McClatchy News reported.
Patagonia is a geographic region in southern Argentina and Chile, covering the entirety of the southern tip of South America.
The research team includes Pol, Agnolín, Matías J. Motta, Jordi Garcia Marsà, Mauro A. Aranciaga-Rolando, Gerardo Álvarez-Herrera, Sebastian Rozadilla, Federico Brissón-Egli, Mauricio A. Cerroni, Karen M. Panzeri, Sergio Bogan, Silvio Casadio, Juliana Sterli, Sergio E. Miquel, Sergio Martínez, Leandro M. Pérez and Fernando E. Novas.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Paleontologists dig through fossilized dino guts to see what's inside
Nothing quite fits the moniker 'gentle giant' more than sauropods. These gargantuan dinosaurs could reach up to 123 feet long and weigh up to seven tons. Sauropods have long been believed to be herbivores, munching on leaves during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Now, for the first time, a team of paleontologists have studied the abdomen of a sauropod with its gut contents still intact that lived roughly 94 to 101 million years ago. The finding confirms that they were in fact herbivores–and did not really chew their food. Instead, sauropods relied on gut microbes to break down its food. The findings are detailed in a study published June 9 in the Cell Press journal Current Biology. 'No genuine sauropod gut contents had ever been found anywhere before, despite sauropods being known from fossils found on every continent and despite the group being known to span at least 130 million years of time,' Stephen Poropat, a study co-author and paleontologist at Curtin University in Australia, said in a statement. 'This finding confirms several hypotheses about the sauropod diet that had been made based on studies of their anatomy and comparisons with modern-day animals.' Fossilized dinosaur bones can only tell us so much about these extinct animals. Paleontologists can use trackways and footprints to learn about their movement and preserved gut contents called cololites to put together what their diets may have looked like. Understanding the diet is critical for understanding their biology and the role they played in ancient ecosystems, but very few dinosaur fossils have been found with cololites. These are gut contents that have yet to become poop–or coprolites. In particular, sauropod cololites have remained elusive. With their gargantuan sizes, these dinosaurs may have been the most ecologically impactful terrestrial herbivores on the planet during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. With this lack of direct dietary evidence, the specifics of sauropod herbivory—including the plants that they ate—have mostly been theorized based largely on tooth wear, jaw shape and size, and neck length. But that changed in the summer of 2017. Staff and volunteers at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History were excavating a relatively complete subadult sauropod skeleton. This particular Diamantinasaurus matildae specimen lived during the mid-Cretaceous period and was uncovered in the Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia. The team noticed an unusual, fractured rock layer that appeared to contain the sauropod's cololite with well-preserved plant fossils. The team analyzed the plant specimens within the cololite and found that sauropods likely only engaged in minimal oral processing of their food. Instead of chewing, their gut microbiota would ferment the plants to digest it. The cololite had a wide variety of plants, including foliage from conifers (cone-bearing seed plants), seed-fern fruiting bodies (plant structures that hold seeds), and leaves from angiosperms (flowering plants). From this, it looks like Diamantinasaurus was an indiscriminate, bulk feeder. 'The plants within show evidence of having been severed, possibly bitten, but have not been chewed, supporting the hypothesis of bulk feeding in sauropods,' said Poropat. The team also found chemical biomarkers of both angiosperms and gymnosperms—a group of woody, seed-producing plants that include conifers. [ Related: The mystery of why some dinosaurs got so enormous. ] 'This implies that at least some sauropods were not selective feeders, instead eating whatever plants they could reach and safely process,' Poropat said. 'These findings largely corroborate past ideas regarding the enormous influence that sauropods must have had on ecosystems worldwide during the Mesozoic Era.' Although it was not unexpected that the gut contents provided support for sauropod herbivory and bulk feeding, Poropat was surprised to find angiosperms in the dinosaur's gut. 'Angiosperms became approximately as diverse as conifers in Australia around 100 to 95 million years ago, when this sauropod was alive,' he says. 'This suggests that sauropods had successfully adapted to eat flowering plants within 40 million years of the first evidence of the presence of these plants in the fossil record.' Based on these findings, the team suggests that Diamantinasaurus likely fed on both low- and high-growing plants, at least before adulthood. As hatchlings, sauropods would have only been able to access food that was close to the ground. As they grew (and grew and grew), their viable food options also expanded. Additionally, the prevalence of small shoots, bracts, and seed pods in the cololite implies that subadult Diamantinasaurus likely targeted new growth portions of conifers and seed ferns. These portions of the plant are easier to digest. According to the authors, the strategy of indiscriminate bulk feeding likely served sauropods well for 130 million years. However, as with most studies, there are some important caveats and limitations. 'The primary limitation of this study is that the sauropod gut contents we describe constitute a single data point,' Poropat explained. 'These gut contents only tell us about the last meal or several meals of a single subadult sauropod individual.' We also don't know how the seasons affected diet, or if the plants preserved in this specific sauropod represent a diet typical of a healthy sauropod or a more stressed one. The specimen is also a subabult, which could mean that younger sauropods had this more than adults did. Despite the limitations, it offers an exciting look inside the stomachs of some of the largest creatures to ever live.
Forbes
12 hours ago
- Forbes
Ocean Day 2025: Sustaining The Wonder That Sustains Us
On June 8th, we celebrate World Oceans Day under the global theme: 'Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us.' The ocean covers 70% of the Earth's surface and is not only vast but vital for the existence of life. According to the United Nations News, the ocean produces over 50% of the planet's oxygen, absorbs 25% of human-generated carbon dioxide, and regulates climate patterns critical to life. Beyond threats, the ocean harbors breathtaking wonders. Scientists estimate that over 80% of the ocean remains unexplored, according to National Geographic. Another beautiful wonder is that the Mariana Trench plunges deeper than Mount Everest is tall and is filled with a host of mysterious and unique sea creatures. Coral reefs, often called the 'rainforests of the sea,' support 25% of marine life despite covering less than 1% of the ocean floor. Even more astonishing, the largest migration on Earth occurs daily as deep-sea creatures rise to the surface under cover of night to make their way to other areas. These are some of the beautiful wonders that require our mindfulness and protection and of course changed habits. Despite its importance, the ocean is under unprecedented stress and the UN Trade & Development reports that nearly 90% of global fish stocks are exploited or depleted. Coupled with this sea surface temperatures have risen by nearly 1°C since pre-industrial times, contributing to coral bleaching events and extreme weather. Pollution is another grave concern. According to the World Economic Forum, 6 million metric tons of plastic leak into the rivers and coastlines every year. Without intervention, this figure could triple by 2040. Meanwhile, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation warns that by 2050, plastics could outweigh fish in the oceans. While the ocean is a filled with mysteries, wonder must fuel our action. Here are three actions we can take for its sustainability: As we marvel at the ocean's mysteries and vast wonders, World Oceans Day is a reminder that sustaining what sustains us is not optional, its essential for our survival. al and will ensure that the ocean's wonder endure for generations to come.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
What dinosaur has 500 teeth? Inside the conveyer belt jaw of Nigersaurus
What dinosaur has 500 teeth and replaced each and every one of them every 14 days? With 15 times more teeth than the human set of 32, Nigersaurus taqueti hacked through low-lying vegetation with choppers like a lawn mower, paleontologist and National Geographic Explorer Paul Sereno told National Geographic just years after he and colleagues first described and named the dinosaur. About as heavy as an adult African forest elephant, this dinosaur would have weighed about two tons and stretched about 30 feet long from nose to the tip of its tail. The herbivore wandered lowlands of western Africa about 105 million years ago in what's now the Republic of Niger. Nigersaurus was one of the most effective plant-eating creatures to have ever evolved. Here's what you need to know about Nigersaurus and its toothy way of life. The bones of Nigersaurus first came to the attention of paleontologists in the middle of the 20th century. Between 1965 and 1972, French paleontologist Philippe Taquet used previous fossil reports to confirm the suspected bonebeds in Niger. His search turned up multiple prehistoric species new to science, such as the sail-backed, duckbilled dinosaur Ouranosaurus and the gharial-like crocodile Sarcosuchus. One site, Gadofaoua, was especially promising and brimming with the bones of large dinosaurs. Taquet did not describe them in detail or name them, as there were so many other fossils in the area to study. The bones would wait 30 years for another team of paleontologists to dig in further. (Was there a dino the size of a hummingbird?) In 1997, a field team organized by Sereno, who is also a National Geographic Explorer, rediscovered the bones at Gadofaoua. 'The locality is quite remote, and the temperatures and shifting sands mean that it can be a challenging place to work,' says University of Michigan paleontologist Jeff Wilson Mantilla, who helped name Nigersaurus. Each piece of bone was extremely delicate. Some were so thin, light could shine through them. But after careful excavation, preparation, and study, it was clear that Taquet's sauropod was a new dinosaur unlike any seen before. In 1999, Sereno, Wilson Mantilla, and colleagues presented a scientific description of the plant-eater and named it Nigersaurus taqueti in honor of its country of origin and Taquet. Further finds made the following year filled even more of the skeleton, which showed that Nigersaurus was a very unusual relative of dinosaurs like Diplodocus. Experts found multiple Nigersaurus bones at the site, including neck bones still connected to each other and a jumble of several skull bones.'The skull bones were so strange looking that it was challenging to identify which element we were looking at,' Wilson Mantilla says. Paleontologists have continued studying Nigersaurus and how the dinosaur lived. Its eyes were positioned high on its skull, which may have given the herbivore overlapping visual fields to better watch out for stalking carnivores. A study of the dinosaur's limb bones further indicated that Nigersaurus had thin walls compared to the limb bones of large mammals. (See how these fierce dinos evolved.) Air sacs that invaded and surrounded some of the bones of Nigersaurus, like those found in birds that make their bones hollow, helped keep the dinosaur light enough that the animal did not need bulky bones to support its weight like large mammals do. Having hollow bones supported by air sacs was one of the key traits that allowed dinosaurs like Nigersaurus to get big. While all dinosaurs replace their teeth throughout their lives, Nigersaurus' process was unique. As dino teeth form, they are marked with tiny lines that form each day. 'Counting those lines tells you how old the teeth are,' Wilson Mantilla says. The count on Nigersaurusindicated that each of its teeth was replaced every two weeks, he notes, with seven replacements forming behind the exposed tooth at any one time. The shape of the dinosaur's jaws offered a clue to its dental overachieving. The muzzle of Nigersaurus was square, like a vacuum. Square muzzle shapes are common among animals that graze low to the ground, a hint that Nigersaurus did so too. "Its mouth appears designed for nipping rather than chomping or chewing," Sereno said in a 2007 interview with National Geographic. Wear patterns suggest Nigersaurus' teeth slid by one another like a pair of shears. Such low-growing plants are often tough to eat. Plants like horsetails contain tough, crystal-like material called silica, and vegetation that grew low to the ground would also have a lot of sand or other grit in it Wilson Mantilla says. Feeding on such roughage would have worn down the dinosaur's teeth very quickly, and so Nigersaurus evolved to replace its teeth fast. (Scientists find a new titanosaur dinosaur species in Patagonia.) Experts still have a lot to learn about Nigersaurus and how it evolved to be different from other plant-eating dinosaurs. Studying the unusual herbivore might help experts better understand how such dinosaurs spread all over the planet and thrived for so many millions of years. In time, bones that started as mysteries in the desert may unlock new paleo puzzles. Paleontologists uncovered the bones of many individual Nigersaurus from Gadofaoua, but no single complete skeleton. Thanks to cutting-edge technology, however, Wilson Mantilla and colleagues were able to make digital scans of the collected Nigersaurus bones in 2007 and adjust them to the same scale to create a reconstruction of the dinosaur. It was one of the first times paleontologists had used CT scans to reconstruct the skull anatomy of a dinosaur. (These ancient fish swam with the dinosaurs, but may not survive humans.) The CT scans also revealed the anatomy and position of the dinosaur's inner ear, which shows us how animals hold their heads and balance their bodies. For Nigersaurus, the digital scan indicated that the herbivore kept its muzzle tilted down toward the ground. Researchers also found that the brain cavity of Nigersaurus showed relatively small parts of the brain relating to smell. From this discovery, researchers can assume Nigersaurus probably wasn't very good at sniffing out approaching carnivores or where the tastiest plants might be. But that doesn't seem to have been a problem for a dinosaur that grazed all day.
