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New dinosaur species bigger than T-rex and heavier than seven elephants

Pieces of the dinosaur were first discovered in 2005 but it has only recently been named in a study of its bones released yesterday.

Associated Press Associated Press

RESEARCHERS STUDYING THE remains of an enormous dinosaur have given it an equally colossal name: Dreadnaughtus, or “fearing nothing”.

Scientists hope its unusually well-preserved bones will help reveal secrets about some of the largest animals ever to walk the earth. The four-legged beast, with a long neck and powerful 29-foot tail, stretched about 85 feet long – equal to more than seven Tyrannosaurus Rex – and weighed about 65 tons. That’s more than seven times the weight of even a plus-size male African elephant.

Associated Press Associated Press

Pieces of the specimen were first discovered in Agentina’s southern Patagonia in 2005 by Kenneth Lacovara of Drexel University in Philadelphia and parts of it have been pulled together over a number of years so it can be properly studied.

He said he can’t claim that it was the most massive dinosaur known, because the remains of comparably sized beasts are too fragmentary to allow a direct comparison.

Associated Press Associated Press

It is, however, the heaviest animal whose weight during life can be calculated directly with a standard technique that analyses bones of the upper limbs, he said. Its bones indicate it was still growing when it died.

In a study released by the journal Scientific Reports yesterday, Lacovara and colleagues describe the plant-eating behemoth’s bones as being 75 million to 77 million-years-old.

Since 2009, they have been creating computerised 3D reconstruction of the bones and have started making minaturised physical models of parts of the skeleton to investigate how the animal moved.

Associated Press Associated Press

We’re getting a more complete picture of this giant animal than we have for any of the other big titanosaurs that are out there,” said paleontologist Kristi Curry Rogers of Macalester College in St Paul, Minnesota. The bounty of anatomical data should help scientists learn about variation in titanosaurs and their evolution, she said.

“This is pretty big news,” Rogers said.

Associated Press Associated Press

Jeff Wilson of the University of Michigan called the finding “a really great specimen.”

Among the questions it can help scientists investigate, he said, is what kind of anatomical features were needed to let a dinosaur grow so huge.

Another huge dinosaur is currently being excavated in Patagonia and scientists hope they can determine whether the two beasts are closely related or whether each came by its huge size independently.

- With additional reporting by Michelle Hennessy.

Read: Sex geckos freeze to death after being sent to space by Russia>

Read: Couple caught on camera stealing a model dinosaur from a museum>

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46 Comments
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    Mute Jason Power
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    Jan 28th 2013, 7:42 AM

    I must admit I am (the only) one of Ryanair’s very happy repeat customers

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    Mute jim melia
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    Jan 28th 2013, 8:38 AM

    I’m with you there Jason, I’ve never had a problem with them and I’ve been using them for years.

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    Mute Jason Power
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    Jan 28th 2013, 8:58 AM

    Great Jim, you have just jinxed our next Ryanair flight/”experience”

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    Mute David Duignan
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    Jan 28th 2013, 9:00 AM

    not true as i always fly ryanair where i can. my favourite airline.

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    Mute john dilllon
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    Jan 28th 2013, 10:46 AM

    IM in your bracket also ,flew over 15 times and never had a problem ..finger crossed anyhow off London in April

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    Mute Alan Murphy
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    Jan 28th 2013, 11:53 AM

    I rarely have a complaint. But I will put you this question and this happened me last week.

    Tomorrow morning at 6.30 there are 2 flights to Birmingham. One AL the other Ryanair. Both are pretty much the same price. Which one will you chose? No contest.

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    Mute Aaron Broughill
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    Jan 28th 2013, 12:48 PM

    Ryanair of course, it’ll be on-time

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    Mute tomnewnewman.org
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    Jan 28th 2013, 8:02 AM

    A certain percent will never be pleased with anything so 93% is an amazing high result

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    Mute Paul Wallace
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    Jan 28th 2013, 7:51 AM

    They are doing well because there is no such thing as a “cheap” flight anymore

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    Mute Bilbo Baggins
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    Jan 28th 2013, 10:34 PM

    I just booked a return flight to Sweden for €100, it will cost me €40 just on petrol to drive to and from the airport. And probably €30 ish to park. Makes the flight look pretty cheap to me.

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    Mute Clive Hand
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    Jan 28th 2013, 7:51 AM

    Big question is why he wants Aer Lingus

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    Mute Ben Gunn
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    Jan 28th 2013, 8:11 AM

    Maybe we should look west for the answer to that one.

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    Mute David Duignan
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    Jan 28th 2013, 9:02 AM

    trans atlantic flights i suspect although o leary has said he can only do low cost flying on short haul flights.

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    Mute Dodge Challenger
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    Jan 28th 2013, 7:42 AM

    Could they throw a few bob my way so I can make a profit in the third quarter too?

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    Mute Larry McGahern Jnr
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    Jan 28th 2013, 7:58 AM

    People with the acumen and capacity of Michael O’Leary must get sooooooooo frustrated when they watch the way our country is run. It makes me laugh, bitterly

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    Mute Paul Condon
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    Jan 28th 2013, 8:13 AM

    Good man Mr O’Leary, now if you’d be so kind as to hurry on and put those profits into a RyanAtlantic launch. New York for the weekend? Don’t mind if I do!

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    Mute Thomas Quinn
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    Jan 28th 2013, 7:50 AM

    Hate flying with them. But Mick should be running this country.

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    Mute Dodge Challenger
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    Jan 28th 2013, 7:54 AM

    Agree with your first point, disagree with your second one.

    Bill Clinton for Taoiseach! :P

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    Mute Jay Thompson
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    Jan 28th 2013, 8:36 AM

    Everyone moans about them but cant turn down the cheap flights

    Fair play

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    Mute Eugene Curtis
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    Jan 28th 2013, 7:52 AM

    So approx 10 people on every aircraft say they’ll never fly with Ryanair again? That’s not good.

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    Mute Ben Gunn
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    Jan 28th 2013, 8:13 AM

    There isn’t a business anywhere that would not be delighted with those customer satisfaction numbers.

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    Mute Eugene Curtis
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    Jan 28th 2013, 9:54 AM

    You’re clearly not used to reading Cust sat numbers if you think that. Very broad questions from which you would expect very high bungees – some of these numbers are not as good as you’d expect.

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    Mute Martin Mac
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    Jan 28th 2013, 10:49 AM

    And a penny of that won’t go back into there filthy dirty horrid planes.

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    Mute Bilbo Baggins
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    Jan 28th 2013, 10:37 PM

    The youngest fleet in Europe you mean?

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    Mute Conor Stagg
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    Jan 28th 2013, 12:33 PM

    Micks a legend! love to hear his debates great talker but that’s not what this country needs in a leader!

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    Mute Niall Murphy
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    Jan 28th 2013, 8:11 AM

    And Sir des champs is going to win the gold cup…. Looks like Mick is in for a really good year!

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    Mute FlopFlipU
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    Jan 28th 2013, 7:45 AM

    Wow

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