How is the transport of the skeletal remains of the largest dinosaur that has inhabited the Earth? Here is the example of an accident to explain what should not be done.
The era of the dinosaurs would not be understood if it were not for the role of some species, such as the tyrannosaurus rex or the chucarosaurus diripienda. The first of them is recognized by all unless we have seen a movie from the legendary Jurassic Park saga. Now, what is the second of them? Known colloquially as the long necked dinosaur, it is one of the largest living beings of those who have inhabited the Earth. To understand its dimensions, it reached a length of 30 meters.
We are, without a doubt, facing the largest terrestrial animal in history and, as was to be expected, the findings found have only extended its legend. Now, the transfer of the found remains of a specimen have even produced a traffic accident. This is so due to incredible size of the bones found. A skeleton in good condition has caused this result in the middle of the transfer operation of part of the skeleton. It has been, without a doubt, one of the most outstanding events in the field of paleontology.
Let us see, therefore, what has happened in Patagonia, Argentina, why we are facing an episode that can change the way of transportation of dinosaur remains in the coming years and, of course, what are the characteristics of the recently found specimen. We are, without a doubt, before the faithful representation of the size that a dinosaur of these dimensions can have.
How Not to Transport the Remains of a Long-Necked Dinosaur Today
The transport of this particular specimen from Patagonia to Argentina It has not been as successful as one might think.. Apparently, a destabilization of the remains of the dinosaur has been the cause of a traffic accident. The visible remains of the animal include a whole category of fundamental bones in its body. The femur of this unit, for example, had a length of 1.9 meters. These are bone pieces that, even today, have great resistance. A good conservation system has been key to achieving this durability.
Also known as a titanosaur, this unit was discovered in 2018 during a paleontological expedition. After an initial exploration and subsequent study, a total of 7 bones could be recovered, which presented a good state of conservation. The fossil was formed, therefore, by the humerus, the radius and the metacarpus, the hip and the hind leg, which was made up of the femur, tibia and fibula. It is, therefore, one of the most important discoveries that there has been in the matter in the sector.
It is believed, after the pertinent tests carried out, that this specimen lived in the middle of the Cretaceous. In relation to its weight, it is estimated that it could have been between 30 and 40 tons. Published the study in the specialized magazine Cretaceous Research, we are facing one of the specimens that has allowed us to learn the most about the history of this incredible species.
The weight destabilized the vehicle and caused an accident. Luckily no one was seriously injured and the bones of this dinosaur were so hard that they were not damaged. Fernando Novas, paleontologist at the Bernardino Rivadavia Museum of Natural Sciences in Buenos Aires
Fortunately, everything was left in a fright, since there were no injuries and, furthermore, there were no damages to the bone pieces that were transported. Even so, this example allows to understand to what extent they have a particularly large size and weight.