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Fossils found in South Africa have discovered a new species of dinosaur, according to a study released Thursday. "Not only does our country hold the cradle of humanity, but we also have fossils that help us understand the rise of gigantic dinosaurs," said the South African Minister of Science and Technology. Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane I said.
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The study found that the dinosaur species was about twice the size of a modern African elephant, weighing more than 26,000 pounds or 13 tons and lying about 13 feet from height to the hips.
"This is the first real giant to have evolved into a long line of dinosaurs called sauropod dinosaurs," co-authored a study and paleontologist at University of the Witwatersrand, Jonah Choiniere, said in a statement. Brontosaurus is a well-known sauropod that can weigh up to 66 tons.
"The name reflects the large size of the animal as well as the fact that its lineage first appeared in sauropod dinosaurs," added Choiniere.
The plant dinosaur, known as the Latin Ledumahadi mafube, is considered the largest land animal of 200 million years ago.
"The first thing that struck me in this animal is the incredible strength of the limb bones. The Ledumahadi dinosaurs are incredibly thick, which means that the dinosaur would have been squatting, standing up like a domestic cat.
The scientist said that the region of South Africa where the fossil had been discovered was at the origin of all the giant dinosaurs that evolved afterwards.
The study found that the new dinosaur is a close relative of other massive dinosaurs in Argentina, reinforcing the theory that the supercontinent Pangea was still assembled at that time.
"It shows how easily the dinosaurs could have walked from Johannesburg to Buenos Aires at that time," said Choiniere.
Jennifer Botha-Brink, of the South African National Museum of Bloemfontein, determines that the specimen, which was found about 187 miles south of Johannesburg, was about 14 years old at the time of her death.
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