New ‘Giant’ Dinosaur Species Discovered in Argentina

Archaeologists in Argentina have reportedly discovered a new species of dinosaur about three times the size of other dinosaurs from the Triassic era. According to findings released Monday by La Matanza National University’s Scientific Dissemination Agency, the species is about 200 million years old. “As soon as we found it, we realized it was something different. We found a shape, the first giant one among all the dinosaurs. That’s the surprise,” Cecilia Apaldetti, a government and San Juan University researcher, was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse. The species, Ingenia prima, was uncovered in the Balde de Leyes dig site in San Juan province. It “exhibits a growth strategy that was unknown until now and indicates that gigantism originated much earlier than was thought,” Apaldetti said. Ingenia prima dinosaurs are believed to have weighed about 10 tons—up to three times as much as African elephants.