Scientists identify new species of titanosaur in Patagonia

Scientists in Argentina have identified the fossiled remains of a previously unknown species of sauropod dinosaur in the Patagonian province of Neuquén, the CONICET National Scientific and Technical Research Council has announced.

The fossils, estimated to be around 83 million years old, belong to a long-necked herbivore within the titanosaur group and have been named Yeneen houssayi.

The remains were uncovered at Cerro Overo-La Invernada, an area regarded as one of the most palaeontologically rich regions in Patagonia.

Details of the discovery were published in the specialist journal Historical Biology.

“It is not only significant because it is a new species, but also because it makes an important contribution to our understanding of the anatomy and evolutionary relationships of titanosaur sauropod dinosaurs,” said palaeontologist Leonardo Filippi, lead author of the study and a CONICET researcher.

The fossil material includes six cervical vertebrae, a complete series of dorsal vertebrae, the sacrum with both ilia, and the first caudal vertebra.

Based on these remains, researchers estimate that Yeneen houssayi had a relatively small head, measured between 10 and 12 metres in length, and weighed between eight and 10 tonnes, roughly comparable in volume to an urban bus.

The find represents the third distinct titanosaur species identified at La Invernada, alongside Overosaurus paradasorum and Inawentu oslatus.

“This opens up several hypotheses,” Filippi said, including the possibility that sauropod dinosaurs were “highly diverse and abundant” in the area during the Upper Cretaceous period.

As the species were discovered at different stratigraphic levels, they may also be separated by “thousands or even millions of years,” he added.

The first fossiled remains in the northern Neuquén area were recorded in 2003, with systematic excavations beginning a decade later. Researchers also identified a second, juvenile specimen of Yeneen houssayi, represented by a small hip bone, at the same site.

In addition to the three sauropods, numerous other dinosaur species and fossils from different animals have been found in the region.

“We consider this area to be a true ecosystem that we are only just beginning to understand,” Filippi said. “There is no doubt that it was highly conducive to life and to the development of an extraordinary biodiversity.”

– TIMES/AFP