Dinosaur Uproar

Summary of "Argentine Dinosaur Was an Estimated 130,000 Pounds, and Still Growing," by Kenneth Chang

Chang reported that a new dinosaur recently was found in Argentina's Patagonia region. It is thought to be the largest ever recovered. The Argentinian dinosaur measured eight-five feet long, thirty feet tall, 130,000 pounds and still growing when it died, sometime between 84 million and 66 millions years ago. Scientists are calling it Dreadnoughtus, because of its enormous size. Dreadnoughtus is the first of this species discovered and the most complete specimen ever found in the group of titanosaurs, or huge dinosaurs. "It's the biggest land animal that we can actually put a number on," Dr. Lacovara said. Researchers have collected more than 200 bones, 70 percent of which represent the bones behind the head. They found that the hollow bones likely contained "air sacs that connected to the respiratory system, allowing the Dreadnoughtus to essentially fan itself on the inside." The team of paleontologists are using "sophisticated medical models" to understand how Dreadnoughtus moved and grew. "I wouldn't want to get anywhere near this guy. If he leaned against you, you're dead" (Chang, 2014.)

I think this article it very interesting because it describes an important period of time in the history of life on Earth. When new discoveries and findings surface through scientific discovery it links us, as human beings, to our past and how we came to be. It's important to know about our backgrounds so that we can understand more about ourselves. Not only does this article describe part of our planet's past it also describes the phenomena that took place. It's unbelievable that before humans evolved, the Earth was crawling with enormous reptiles and exotic mammals that definitely are not alive today. This article interests me because even though I clearly did not live during the Jurassic Period, I can still learn about it.

Chang, K. (2014, September 4). Argentine Dinosaur Was an Estimated 130,000 Pounds, and Still Growing. The New York Times. Retrieved September 16, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/05/science/dinosaur-dreadnoughtus-discovery.html?_r=0