Fossils of 'badass' Argentine meat-eating dinosaur unearthed

[Judi Lynn]

MARCH 28, 2018 / 5:07 PM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO

Will Dunham


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - On a semiarid Patagonian landscape 85 million years ago, a formidable meat-eater called Tratayenia rosalesi reigned as the apex predator, part of an enigmatic dinosaur group that menaced South America and Australia for tens of millions of years.

Scientists on Wednesday described Tratayenia, a two-legged beast up to about 30 feet (9 meters) long, based on fossils unearthed in Argentina’s Neuquén province, adding another impressive dinosaur to the list of those that inhabited Patagonia during the Cretaceous Period.

It was a member of a group called megaraptorids that lived in the Southern Hemisphere from about 105 to 85 million years ago. The group was recognized by paleontologists only in the past few years, and all of its members — including Tratayenia — are known only from incomplete skeletons.

“Megaraptorids, although still mysterious, seem to have been a pretty badass bunch of predatory dinosaurs,” said paleontologist Matt Lamanna of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.

More:
https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-science-dinosaur/fossils-of-badass-argentine-meat-eating-dinosaur-unearthed-idUKKBN1H43B7?rpc=401&

[Permanut]

1. Bob Dutko, Right wing radio nutjob in Detroit..

argues on his radio show that there would certainly be a couple of these on the ark, "..but they must have been babies..".

[Judi Lynn]

4. Those guys have been lucky there are people left who are stupid enough to believe them.

What a horrible shame.



Derp.

Jeez, he does look as if he's permanently stupid, doesn't he? Good grief.

Baby dinosaurs. #%&**@#!!

[sandensea]

2. Meat. Argentina's enduring love, 85 million years on.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Such an interesting grill. Sounds as if Garcia got the design from Argentina, right?

They've been cooking out doors a very long time there.

Too bad there aren't any small dinosaurs around. They just might taste like chicken.

[sandensea]

5. Apparently so, Judi.

Of course, I doubt the v-shaped grates originated in Argentina. The grill design - and the asados themselves - were probably brought over from European immigrants in the 19th century.

These days, city dwellers will typically have them on their apartment balconies or rooftops - something like this:

Bon appétit!

[Judi Lynn]

6. It would be cool having a grill like that for an apartment.

I've only seen really conventional ones on balconies.

The grill was different, for sure. The operation looked very workable, by all means. Cool.

I've failed to connect all the dots, but I do remember, now, Argentina is famous for its beef, isn't it? I remember images I've seen over the years showing gauchos going far back in history, just like US cowboys, maybe substantially longer.

Just remembered, an outstanding DU poster I've known since 2000 or earlier, was a journalist for UPI, among other things, before the current creepy owner, Sun Myung Moon, and he lived in South America for many years, and mentioned that Argentine people have a distinctive accent unlike others in the Americas. I thought the speaker on the video had a really clear, enjoyable accent. Very interesting.

Fun seeing the area around the apartment. Thanks for sharing the video.

[sandensea]

7. Glad you enjoyed it!

I wish it had subtitles (he was basically sharing how he likes to prepare and grill steak, and why coating the steak in olive oil is important for a crispy exterior).

Mind you, I'm a vegetarian who, while not strict, hasn't had a steak that big in 15 years. Other than poultry meat from time to time, it's quinoa and spinach burgers for me, thankyouverymuch. Trader Joe's has some excellent ones if you haven't tried them yet.

As far as the accent, that's mainly due to all the Italians who emigrated to Argentina between around 1860 and 1960. They were so many, that their accent rubbed off on other immigrants (Spanish, Polish, etc.) as well as the native-born.

The host, in fact, is called Luciano Lucchetti. Molto Italiano, eh!