Philadelphia Scientists Discover New, Supermassive Dinosaur 'Dreadnoughtus'
By Jan Carabeo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Scientists in Philadelphia unveiled details about a new dinosaur species.
It's believed to be among the largest land animals that ever lived.
What has a tail that stretches around a room and a leg bone taller than most men?
Only the biggest land animal to ever grace this earth.
Meet Dreadnoughtus schrani, a dinosaur discovered by a team of scientists from Drexel University.
"What a great day for Drexel, what a great day for the field of paleontology," Drexel University President John Fry said.
Thursday those scientists and students revealed their nine-year project.
Hard to believe with a shin bone like that, this dino wasn't even done growing when it died.
But Dreadnoughtus is a huge dinosaur.
It's name a nod to the fact that it feared nothing.
"This harkens back to the turn of the last century, the first big steel battleships that in that era were essentially impervious to attack," Kenneth Lacovara said.
This outline shows just how big Dreadnoughtus was. At 85 feet long, it weighed as much as a dozen African elephants and more than seven T. Rex.
Its discovery was made by Drexel Professor Kenneth Lacovara along with more than 100 scientists and volunteers in the Patagonia section of Argentina.
The find at 145 bones represents the most complete skeleton ever of this type.
"This is our first really good window into the way these animals actually existed, the largest creatures to ever walk the land," Lacovara said.
Lacovara grew up in Linwood, New Jersey.
His love of science started much simpler than this, with a box of minerals.
"Living in South Jersey, you pretty much only see mud and sand. So I'd never seen anything like this, and at that moment I determined that I was going to be a geologist," Lacovara said.
Now his discovery will reach worldwide, quite possibly inspiring the next generation.
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