Led by Mendoza, scientists have identified a new line of giant dinosaurs

A group of researchers from different countries, led by the National University of Cuyo, recognized "a new line" of giant dinosaurs in Argentina, which they named Colossosaurs, which includes the world's largest titanosaurs, whose heaviest body mbad It has been known, between 50 and 70 tons.

The results of various badyzes and studies, already published in the prestigious journal "Annais da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias", reaching a large part of the international scientific community, indicate that colossosaurs included the heaviest terrestrial animals ever known, with mbades maximum levels of 50 to 70 tonnes. Like the Argentinian Patagotitan, Argentinosaurus, Puertasaurus and Notocolossus forms, the latter with a 1.76 m long humerus, the largest humerus known to this group.

The relevance of this recognition is found not only in the extreme size of these giant titanosaurs, but also because of the biological adaptations they imply, which are complex.

"The contribution is to synthesize the anatomical knowledge of titanosaur sauropods, with emphasis on their phylogenetic study, that is, kinship. We are struck by the great diversity of this group. A group of them was really gigantic and this is a challenge for paliobiological models referring to physiology, locomotion, growth, feeding and reproduction rhythms. Importantly, we have now identified this group and given it its name, "said Bernardo González Riga, researcher at CONICET and director of the Dinosaur Laboratory and Museum of the Faculty of Science. and Natural Sciences (FCEN), from which they conducted the studies. Specialists from different parts of the country, as well as the United States and Brazil, participated.

Gonzalez Riga, who, along with his colleagues from around the world in Mendoza, has discovered and named 4 species of dinosaurs, said that these works of synthesis and phylogenetic badysis are the result of a synthesis of two decades of scientific studies carried out thanks to the conformation of the laboratory team. and the Dinosaur Museum, integrated among others by professionals Leonardo Ortiz David, Juan Pedro Coria, Belen Tomaselli, Claudio Mercado and Germán Sánchez.

"The phylogeny of titanosaurs is a controversial issue because every year new species meet in the world and their diversity is truly incredible. González Riga pointed out that there was no extrinsic (environmental) factor explaining gigantism and that the attention of paleontologists was derived from the fact that these extraordinarily gigantic sizes were much larger than those of extinct mammals (mammoths, rhinos) or any other terrestrial vertebrate.

Among other details, UNCUYO described the fact that these dinosaurs developed very long necks (up to 12 meters) and small heads; reproduction by eggs (oviparous); high growth rates during the early stages of life and respiration, supplemented by air sacs similar to those of birds. All these unique characters from the history of evolution would have been the ones that led to an increase in their body mbad.

"Knowledge of the large animals that populated this distant past and its extinctions provides insight into current adaptations of vertebrates and their fragile relationship with environmental and ecological changes," the researchers added.

How was the discovery?

The study that allowed this denomination was performed on the basis of a comparative anatomical badysis and application software (TNT program) that process hundreds of data to obtain cladograms, which are Phylogenetic hypotheses of kinship in the form of "trees" based on shared characters. (Synapomorphies). And this was achieved by applying heuristic searches with parsimony criteria, then by comparing with previous studies that yielded similar results.

The badysis was conducted and coordinated by González Riga – who also teaches the FCEN – and the team consisted of the following paleontologists: Matthew Lammana (Curator, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, USA), Leonardo Ortiz David (researcher) of CONICET, professor of FCEN and general coordinator of the laboratory and the museum of dinosaurs), Alejandro Otero (researcher of CONICET, museum of Plata, Buenos Aires), Lucio Ibiricu (researcher of CONICET-CENPAT, Puerto Madryn) and Alexander Kellner (Director of the National Museum, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)