Researchers have recently discovered a new species of dinosaur in Argentina that has experts excited about its unique features. Despite having only one partial skeleton to work with, the bones of this new dinosaur are believed to be unique enough to warrant the classification of a new species.
Pablo Gallina, a paleontologist at Universidad Maimónides who was not involved in the study, notes that the size of this dinosaur stands out among other titanosaurs. Most titanosaurs are large dinosaurs with long necks and tails, particularly those found in Patagonia that can reach up to 70 tons. However, this new dinosaur is much smaller in comparison.
Researchers estimate that Titanomachya weighed between five and 10 tons, with body dimensions similar to that of a large cow. Despite its small size, it had a long neck and tail, reaching around 20 feet in length, roughly the size of a minibus. This is significantly smaller than the largest titanosaurs, which could exceed 100 feet in length and weigh over 70 tons. Titanomachya lived in what is now Argentina at the end of the Cretaceous period, approximately 67 million years ago.
During the Late Cretaceous period, the landscape in which Titanomachya lived was vastly different from present-day Patagonia. The region was characterized by coastal lagoons, estuaries, and marshy areas. It was inhabited by a variety of dinosaur species, including the carnivorous Carnotaurus, and other diverse creatures that researchers are still trying to comprehend. Other expeditions in the La Colonia Formation where Titanomachya was discovered have unearthed hadrosaurs, ankylosaurs
