New Giant Dinosaur Species Discovered in Chile’s Atacama Region

Paleontologists in Chile have announced that they’ve discovered a new species of giant dinosaur. The name of the reptile is a mouthful — it’s called “Arackar licanantay.” The name means "Atacamian bones" and comes from the Kunza language. This language was once spoken in Chile but is now extinct.

The fossilized bones were originally unearthed in the 1990s in the arid Atacama region of Chile. The area is rich with dinosaur remains.

Scientists determined that the found fossils were from an animal that was part of the Titanosaur family, which are some of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered. However, features in its dorsal vertebrae make this one a unique species.

Arackar licanantay lived during the Cretaceous Period, 66 to 80 million years ago. According to paleontologists, the herbivores grew to be about 26-feet long. They say the bones found in Chile belonged to a juvenile member of the species. 

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