A new species of dinosaur is found in Argentina

The skeleton of the long-necked herbivore, belonging to the group of titanosaurs and named “Yeneen houssayi”, was found in an area known as Cerro Overo – La Invernada, a region of great paleontological richness. The discovery was published in the specialized journal Historical Biology.

“It is relevant because it not only represents a new species, but also contributes a great advance to the knowledge of the anatomy and phylogeny (kinship relationships) of the titanosaur sauropod dinosaurs.”, paleontologist Leonardo Filippi, first author of the work and researcher at Conicet, told AFP this Thursday.

From the skeleton of the “Yeneen houssayi” six cervical vertebrae were found, all the dorsal vertebrae, the sacrum with both iliums and the first caudal vertebra.

From these fossil remains, the team of scientists determined that the species had a small head in relation to the rest of the body, It was between 10 and 12 meters long and weighed between eight and ten tons (a volume comparable to a city bus).

The new dinosaur represents the third different species of titanosaur sauropod found in La Invernada, along with the “Overosaurus paradasorum” and the “Inawentu oslatus”.

“This generates the development of several hypotheses,” said Filippi, among them that “sauropod dinosaurs were very diverse and abundant” in that place during the Late Cretaceous.

As the different species were found at different levels, it could also be that they are separated by “thousands or millions of years” from each other, the scientist added.

The first report of the discovery of fossil remains in this area of ​​northern Neuquén, in southwestern Argentina, was registered in 2003, and excavations could be carried out a decade later.

In the same place, a second juvenile individual of “Yeneen houssayi” was found, represented by a small hip bone.

In addition to the three sauropods, numerous other species of dinosaurs and fossils of different animals appeared in the region.

“We consider this area as a true ecosystem that we are just beginning to learn about. This place was undoubtedly very conducive to life and the development of such remarkable biodiversity,” said Filippi.