105 Foot New Dinosaur Species Discovered
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The discovery of the Titanosaur — a colossal sized herbivore dinosaur — claimed to be an entirely new species to man measuring between 105 and 112 feet (32 and 34 meters) in length, was unearthed on the banks of Lake Barreales in the Argentine province of Neuquen. News of the Patagonian dinosaur was announced by paleontologists in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, although the first bones were found in 2000.
Alexander Kellner, left, a researcher with the Brazilian National Museum, and Argentine paleontologists Jorge Calvo, center, and Juan Porfiri, reveal parts
of the skeleton of the Futalognkosaurus dukei. AP Photo / Ricardo Morales
The scientists say the massive herbivore walked the Earth some 88 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous period. The plant-eater is among the largest dinosaurs discovered to date. It was named Futalognkosaurus dukei — pronounced FOO-ta-long-koh-SOHR-us — after the Mapuche Indian words for ‘giant’ and ‘chief,’ and Duke Energy Argentina, which helped fund the skeleton’s excavation.
“This is one of the biggest in the world and one of the most complete of these giants that exist.” said Jorge Calvo, director of the paleontology center at the National University of Comahue, Argentina. He was head author of a study on the dinosaur published in the Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences.
“I’m pretty certain it’s a new species.” agreed Peter Mackovicky, associate curator for dinosaurs at Chicago’s Field Museum. “I’ve seen some of the remains of Futalognkosaurus and it is truly gigantic.”
An undated handout reproduction of an artist’s rendering
of the herbivorous Futalognkosaurus dukei dinosaur.
Photo REUTERS / Academia Brasileira de Ciencias / Handout
Calvo said the neck alone was about 56 feet long, and estimated the tail to be 49 feet. The dinosaur reached a height more than 43 feet, and the spinal column weighed about 9 tons when unearthed. A single neck vertebra measured more than 3 feet high, reports Yahoo News.
Jeff Wilson, assistant professor of paleontology at the University of Michigan, was asked to review the finding. He was impressed by the sheer amount of skeleton recovered.
“I should really try to underscore how incredible it is to have partial skeleton of something this size.” said Wilson. “With these kind of bones you can’t study them by moving them around on the table; you have to move around them yourself.”
“It shows us the upper limit for dinosaur size.” Wilson added. “There are some that are bigger but they all top out around this size.”
Patagonia is also home to the 2 largest dinosaur skeletons found to date — Argentinosaurus, at about 115 feet long, and Puertasaurus reuili, 115 feet to 131 feet long.
North America’s dinosaurs don’t even compare in size, Mackovicky added. “Dinosaurs do get big here, but nothing near the proportions we see in South America.”
The site where Futalognkosaurus was discovered has been a treasure trove for paleontologists, yielding more than 1,000 specimens, including 240 fossil plants, 300 teeth and the remains of several more dinosaurs.
“As far as I know, there is no other place in the world where there is such a large and diverse quantity of fossils in such small area. That is truly unique.” said Alexander Kellner, researcher with the Brazilian National Museum and co-author of the dinosaur’s scientific description.
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now that is a titanic dinosaur Deborah…it’s amazing ..and lucky for us that there are scientists out there who keep unearthing these mind boggling wonders…..
It is a monster of a find Kim
Good thing their extinct now. Can you imagine going out to water the garden and this big fella has stopped by for a snack. He’d probably use my scarecrow as a toothpick. Yikes!!
Haha, well fortunately they aren’t omnivorous, but I wouldn’t be sticking around to make friends
Ode to the Futalognkosaurus
by A. B. Curtiss
They now have discovered a new dinosaur.
All the papers were swift to announce it..
It has such a strange name I couldn’t believe
I would ever learn how to pronounce it.
My teacher suggested I make up a song
That used FOO-ta-long-koh-SOHR-us.
And since I wanted to learn it quick
I repeated the name in the chorus.
Eighty million years or more
This creature lived before us.
He stands more than four stories high,
He’s one humungus-saurus.
His length is plus one hundred feet,
Head to posteri-or-us.
He has at least three hundred teeth,
But probably wouldn’t gore us.
Even if he saw us, chances are
He would ignore us.
He’s mainly interested in plants.
Because he’s herbivorous.
This is the song, this is the song
Of the FOO-ta-long-koh-SOHR-us.
The FOO-ta-long, the FOO-ta-long
The FOO-ta-long-koh-SOHR-us.
That’s precious AB Curtiss, thanks for sharing
And I caught the ABC thing too 
Harika Bu Ne Böyle