Argentina-style Jurassic Park
Photo: IP
A team of archaeologists uncovers a dinosaur spinal cord in Patagonia, Argentina, last Friday
(Reuters). Buenos Aires, Argentina. Fossil researchers in Argentina announced on Tuesday that they had uncovered evidence of the existence of a "Jurassic Park" in the heart of the Patagonia region. Dinosaur fossils were found there, and according to the researchers, this is probably "the most significant discovery ever".
The findings were discovered in Chobot - on an arid plateau located about 1,500 km south of Buenos Aires. These are fossils of several unknown species of dinosaurs from the Jurassic period, about 160-150 million years ago. The experts estimate that they have so far uncovered only about 2% of the fossil deposit, which extends over several hundred square kilometers in southern Argentina.
"This is a Yura Park for its name," says Gerardo Caldera, from the Ahidio Ferolio Museum in Terlevy, the head of the delegation. "The discovery is of enormous importance, first of all because of its scope, and secondly because of its age."
Caldera explains that fossils from the Middle Jurassic period are extremely rare. "Until now, they have only been found in China and Madagascar (...) and therefore we know so little about the evolution of the winged dinosaurs of the pterosaur type, and about other mammals from this important period."
The high level of the sea during the tropical Jurassic period, about 144-213 million years ago, shows that the dinosaurs at that time could only survive on a relatively limited area of land, without being washed into the waters of the oceans, Caldera adds.
The newly found species - which the experts have yet to sort and name - include two herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs about ten meters long; and a predatory Theropodus, larger. The team also found a fossil of an unknown mammal the size of a rat, although not a rodent. One of the sauropod fossils was found intact, an extremely rare case.
Argentina is known as a site where dinosaur remains are found. The name "Jurassic Park" was borrowed from Steven Spielberg's famous film, which describes a park where dinosaurs cloned from fossil tissues live.
A week ago, fossil researchers discovered in another province in southwestern Argentina - Naucan - the remains of an unknown vegetarian animal, which were about 95 million years old. The area was nicknamed "Dinosaur Valley" due to the amount of fossil remains found there.
In the XNUMXs and XNUMXs, the remains of two dinosaurs were found in Chobot, but the search in the area was stopped and resumed only about six months ago. This, after one of the local farmers discovered bones sticking out of a rock. The Matreloi museum team intends to expand the excavations at the site at the beginning of this coming March.
{Appeared in Haaretz newspaper, 16/2/2001{
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