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Largest dinosaur fossil found in Brazil

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IANS Rio De Janeiro

Brazilian scientists have announced the discovery of fossil of the largest, 25 metres long dinosaur ever found in the country.

The dinosaur, named "Austroposeidon magnificus", belonged to the group of titanosaurs, which were herbivorous with a well-developed body, a long neck and tail and a relatively small skull, according to scientists at Rio de Janeiro's Earth Sciences Museum, Xinhua news agency reported.

It is believed that these dinosaurs lived during the Cretaceous Period (145-66 million years ago) in regions that are currently part of South America, Africa, the Antarctica and Oceania.

Fossilised vertebrae of the dinosaur was found in the 1950s by Brazilian Paleontologist Llewellyn Ivor Price, who died in 1980 without being acknowledged for this discovery.

 

Since then, the fossil had been analysed and studied until the discovery was finally made on Wednesday.

--IANS

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First Published: Oct 06 2016 | 1:34 PM IST

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