Australia

New Dinosaur Species Found in Australia Was as Long as a Basketball Court

The specimen, nicknamed "the southern titan," is the largest dinosaur ever found in Australia and is among the 15 largest dinosaur specimens worldwide

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A behemoth that once stood more than 16 feet tall and was as long as a basketball court has been confirmed as the largest dinosaur ever found in Australia.

The newly classified species, known as Australotitan cooperensis and nicknamed "the southern titan," now ranks among the 15 largest dinosaur specimens found worldwide. Paleontologists from the Queensland Museum and the Eromanga Natural History Museum described the new species in a study published Monday in the science journal PeerJ.

The fossilized skeleton was discovered in 2007 on a farm in southwest Queensland, near Cooper Creek. The specimen, which became known as "Cooper," was an estimated 16 to 21 feet tall and measured up to 98 feet long, according to the researchers.

The dinosaur is a type of giant sauropod, a plant-eating subgroup characterized by their elongated necks, long tails and four trunk-like legs.

Australotitan is thought to have lived 92 million to 96 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period, the scientists said.

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