A significant paleontological discovery has been made in the Reserva Natural Pueblo Blanco, located 25 kilometers south of El Chocón in Río Negro, Argentina. Researchers have unearthed the fossil remains of a new carnivorous dinosaur species, named Taurovenator violantei, which lived approximately 90 million years ago and was a formidable rival of the Tyrannosaurus rex.
This dinosaur measured 11 meters in length and weighed around 5 tons. The name Taurovenator translates to "bull hunter," reflecting its fearsome nature, characterized by a pair of horns above its eyes. The species name violantei honors the Violante family, the original landowners where the fossils were found.
The discovery was made possible through the collaboration of paleontologists from the Laboratorio de Anatomía Comparada y Evolución de Vertebrados (LACEV) and the Fundación de Historia Natural "Félix de Azara" in Argentina, along with experts from the National Museum of Nature & Science in Japan. The expedition received financial support from the National Geographic Society.
Among the fossils recovered are a skull bone, a nearly complete skeleton, several neck and back vertebrae, and elements of the ribcage. Notably, the findings provide new insights into the anatomy and life habits of carcarodontosaurids, a group of giant carnivorous dinosaurs.
Rolando Aranciaga, a doctoral fellow at Conicet and lead researcher, explained that the neck vertebrae of Taurovenator exhibit unique features, including additional connection zones that enhance rigidity compared to other dinosaurs. This adaptation may have been crucial for supporting its large skull, which measured 1.3 meters in length.
The study detailing this discovery has been published in the German journal The Science of Nature, contributing valuable information to the understanding of dinosaur evolution and anatomy.