Titanosaur Fossil Found In Argentina May Be One Of The Largest Ever Found Of The Species

The remains of a gigantic titanosaur sauropod found in 2012 in Argentina's southern Patagonia region may be one of the largest ever found, according to a paper published this month in the journal Cretaceous Research.

The new sauropod, which hasn't been named yet, could be even larger than the titanosaur called Patagontitan, a 76 tons (69 metric tons), plant-eating behemoth found in Argentina also in 2012.

But almost equally surprising is that the specimen appears almost complete, said José Ignacio Canudo, a paleontologist at Zaragoza University and part of the discovery team.

"It could be the first to be found more or less complete when the excavation finishes," Canudo said.

The team estimates its size at about 40 meters (43 yards) in length from head to tail.

So far, the team in two excavation campaigns have unearthed an articulated sequence of 20 vertebrae from the tip of the tail plus a few more bones.

The remains were left in the middle of the Patagonian desert awaiting further excavation but the pandemic frustrated a planned trip for 2021. Besides this, the team struggles to find funding.

"Among the COVID problems and other problems, including financial ones, we did two excavation campaigns but it is necessary to get funds to continue," Canudo said.

Given the early stage of the excavation is still uncertain whether the specimen belongs to a new species.