Dinosaur fossil found in Argentina may be the world's oldest titanosaur

An enormous dinosaur fossil has been found in Argentina and reports suggest that it is probably the oldest-known member of the dinosaur group known as titanosaurs that includes the largest land animals in Earth's history. According to scientists, the fossilized titanosaur roamed, what is now Patagonia, 140 million years ago at the start of the Cretaceous period as reported by the Independent. Titanosaurs, a diverse group of long-necked, plant-eating dinosaurs may have lived longer than previously believed. They are part of the sauropod dinosaur family, which includes other dinosaurs with similar body structures such as Brontosaurus and Diplodocus that lived in North America during the Jurassic period which was before the Cretaceous Period.

According to scientists

Pablo Gallina of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (Conicet) said about the main importance of this fossil, apart from being a new species of titanosaur, it is also the oldest recorded in this group worldwide. He went on to state that 140 million-year-old fossils are "really very scarce". When dinosaurs went extinct, titanosaurs were still roaming the world. Pablo also said, Titanosaurs are recorded in various corners of the world, but the oldest-known records were more modern than this fossil they have found.

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The specimen has been named ‘Ninjatitan zapatai' after paleontologist Sebastian ‘El Ninja' Apesteguia and technician Rogelio Zapata, who discovered it seven years ago in Neuquén Province, northwest Patagonia. It is thought to be the largest titanosaur ever discovered, as well as the oldest. The pelvic bone and vertebrae indicate that the Ninjatitan zapatai was about 20 meters long, even though the fossil is incomplete. The Andesaurus, a close relative, grew to be 18 meters tall.  Though the largest animal to ever exist is still the blue whale which only grows to 33.5 meters long.

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