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South African scientists piece together ‘new dinosaur species’

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A dinosaur reconstruction effort that began with half a giant thigh bone discovered in South Africa is puzzling palaeontologists, who think they might have stumbled across a new species.

After 20 years of patient collection, researchers finally have enough fossils to put together a complete picture of a 14-tonne creature from the sauropoda group of dinosaurs, characterised by their small head, long neck, long tail and elephant-like gait.

The new specimen, nicknamed the Highland Giant, is thought to be the largest animal ever to roam the Karoo region in South Africa.

“We’re not sure if it’s a new species, or if it’s the biggest specimen ever found of a species we already know. But it’s important either way, because we didn’t know that these dinosaurs could get this big,” said Jonah Choiniere, who led the excavation team for South Africa’s Evolutionary Studies Institute.

While sauropods in other parts of the world could weigh up to 80 tonnes, the Highland Giant was nearly a third larger than any others discovered in South Africa. “It’s the size of two African elephants stacked on top of each other,” said Choiniere.


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