They found in San Juan the oldest giant dinosaur that inhabited the Earth – 07/09/2018

Argentine researchers presented to Ingentia Prima, the first giant dinosaur that inhabited the planet more than 200 million years ago . The discovery was made at the Balde de Leyes deposit, southeast of the province of San Juan. And he revolutionized existing theories about when dinosaurs began to become gigantic.

According to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution and published by the CTyS Scientific Awareness Agency the University of La Matanza, the species is of seniority between 237 and 201 million years and is among the first giant sauropods. With a weight of ten tons and 8 to 10 meters long, is about three times the size of the largest dinosaurs of his era, the Tribadic

"I am surprised by the repercussion of the news, the interest that particularly dinosaurs and giants arouse, and it is impressive to see how people like to know the dinosaurs, "says the paleontologist. Cecilia Apaldetti (36 years old), main author of the article, who frequented Clarín of the city of San Juan, where she lives. "There is no explanation why the scientific and non-scientific world likes to hear about these animals that inhabited the Earth many millions of years ago."

The study was conducted by the researcher from the National University of San Juan, Argentina, in collaboration with researchers Ricardo Martínez, Ignacio Cerda, Diego Pol and Oscar Alcober. "The telling thing is that we found a giant dinosaur in an unthinkable time Until now, the world believed that gigantism had appeared in the middle of the Mesozoic, the strongest age of the dinosaurs in which they were kings, masters and lords of the planet ", illustrates Apaldetti, who adds:" The appearance of Ingentia shows a growth strategy unknown until now and indicates that the origin of gigantism occurred much earlier than we thought ". At the time of the unexpected discovery, in May 2015, in the Bucket of Laws – one of the richest places in "Tribadic levels" after The Valley of the Moon -, Apaldetti admits to seeing the first bones, to half buried in the bushes, They tied them "to a cow" because they were tall and white: "But as we noticed their size, we began to boot, my heart was coming out of my mouth … and we said, "This is a dinosaur, that will give to talk!" Well, I was not wrong. "

Ingentia Prima, which in Latin means" first immense ", is a species 30 million years older than its cousins ​​the titanosaurs," a fantastic discovery that alters the ideas that were held about how these creatures with traits that we did not know about any other species, made to be giants if they were not yet e anatomically prepared to be. This dinosaur hit the thrust at an unthinkable moment, is an advance without a doubt.

Reasons for the "unthinkable stretch"? "A very fast growth rate, an improved bird-style breathing system and changes in vertebral epaxial muscles and hind limbs," says Conicet's specialist.

"Before this discovery, gigantism was considered to have arisen during the Jurbadic period, about 180 million years or so, but Ingentia Prima lived at the end of the Tribadic (between 210 and 205 million years), a period that I call the Vertebrate Lab.

The most widespread theory baderted that the acquisition of the "giant body" had occurred during the Jurbadic and was related to Many skeletal changes present in the branch of Eusauropoda.However, the new discovery reveals that the first impulse towards gigantism in dinosaurs occurred more than 30 million years before . Appearance of the first modern sauropods.

For Apaldetti c & # 39 is his most important work and, humbly, he believes that it is the most important news until here this year in the world of paleontology. "Ojo, is not a missing link although I know that journalism loves to say it, but unfortunately it is not the case, it is valuable information, showing a new unthinkable and evolutionary path to gigantism, we knew. "

What could be said about the life of the Ingentia? "That it was a herbivore who knew how to grow quickly, like no other dinosaur, and also as a defense strategy not to be so vulnerable to carnivores, ancestors of crocodiles, who were the bosses They have found in San Juan in “Ingentia prima”, el dinosaurio gigante más antiguo conocido hasta ahora. (Foto: Agencia CTyS-UNLaM)” observer=”” data-observer-function=”loadLazyImg”/>