The dinosaur lay undiscovered for perhaps 77 million years after it died. Then, in 2005, an American scientist found some of its fossilized remains in the Patagonia area of southern Argentina.
Kenneth Lacovara says the first bones he saw were just a collection of small pieces. But additional digging resulted in the recovery of huge bones. Mr. Lacovara is both a paleontologist and a geologist . He realized his find was something enormous . The dinosaur may be among the largest land animals that ever lived.
Mr. Lacovara is with Drexel University in Pennsylvania. He led an international research team that uncovered, studied and described the fossils of the huge dinosaur. Their work took place over a total of nine years. Their report on the creature, called a Sauropod, appeared in the journal Scientific Reports.
A Sauropod had thick legs and a small head, and grew to great heights. The paleontologist said the animal weighed more than 59,000 kilograms and was 26 meters long while it lived. He said its stomach was larger than a big horse. And this creature was young -- and still growing. Sudden major floods appear to have killed it.