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Largest Land Animal Ever Found in Spain

By grrlscientist on December 21, 2006.

A giant sauropod, which is estimated to have weighed between 40 and 48 tons, was recently discovered in Spain. This animal, which is named Turiasaurus riodevensis, is estimated to have lived 150 million years ago.

In the past such large dinosaurs have primarily been found in Africa and the New World.

"The humerus -- the long bone in the foreleg that runs from the shoulder to the elbow -- was as large as an adult" human, Brooks Hanson, a Science deputy editor, said in a statement. The claw of the first digit of its pes, or hoof, is the size of an NFL football.

The researchers found several other bones as well and were able to group the new find with other remains from Portugal, France and Britain into a new clade, or branch, of dinosaurs that has more-primitive limb and bone structures than other giants.

Cited story.

Tags
Animalia
biology
Nature

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