In March, a group of paleontology students from Sul Ross State University embarked on a research trip to Big Bend National Park in Texas. Under the guidance of Dr. Jesse Kelsch and Dr. Thomas Shiller, the students aimed to study rock formations dating back to the Cretaceous and Eocene periods. Their expedition led to the discovery of a large vertebra belonging to an Alamosaurus.
"The goals of the trip included conducting structural and stratigraphic analyses of Cretaceous–Eocene rocks and to retrieve a large vertebra belonging to Alamosaurus, a long-necked dinosaur that lived in North America during the Cretaceous Period," stated a press release from Sul Ross State University. According to Phys.org, the species inhabited North America approximately 70 to 66 million years ago and is believed to have first appeared about 69 million years ago.
Alamosaurus is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs and includes only one recognized species, Alamosaurus sanjuanensis. Characterized by a long neck and a whip-like tail, Alamosaurus is interesting because it is the only Late Cretaceous sauropod found on the North American continent. "Alamosaurus is the largest known land animal that lived in North America," stated the press release from Sul Ross State University.
Fossils from the giant dinosaur have been found in Big Bend National Park before but are usually poorly preserved, according to a news release from Sul Ross State University. After being recovered, the newly found vertebra is now housed in the paleontology laboratory of Sul Ross State University. It is being studied alongside other vertebrae previously collected from the same quarry, contributing to the understanding of the species and its ecology. Earlier, students from Sul Ross State University gathered associated vertebrae from the area, and these specimens are also part of ongoing research at the university's paleontology lab.
Big Bend National Park has long been recognized as a treasure trove of dinosaur fossils. Among the most extraordinary finds in the park are the fossilized remains of a pterosaur, an ancient flying creature that coexisted with the dinosaurs. The fossil remains of the pterosaur suggest it had a wingspan of approximately 36 feet. Completing the prehistoric panorama of the park is the skull of Bravoceratops polyphemus, a horned dinosaur. Bravoceratops is currently known exclusively through fossils found within Big Bend National Park, making it crucial for understanding the diversity of horned dinosaurs of that period.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.