Tag Archives: Gigantic

Discovery of a Gigantic New Sauropod Dinosaur Species in China

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Chinese paleontologists have uncovered the fossilized skeleton of the colossal Mamenchisaurus dinosaurs, heralding a remarkable new genus from the late Jurassic epoch.

Fossil remains of Tongnanlong Zhimingi. Image credit: Wei et al., doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-09796-0.

The newly identified species inhabited southwestern China approximately 147 million years ago (late Jurassic epoch).

Scientifically designated as Tongnanlong Zhimingi, this sauropod dinosaur measured around 23-28 m (75.5-92 feet) in length.

“Sauropods are enormous, herbivorous quadrupeds and represent the largest terrestrial dinosaurs that ever existed,” remarked Dr. Xuefang Wei, a researcher from the Western Center for China Geological Survey.

“They first appeared in the late Triassic period, spread globally by the Middle Jurassic, and ultimately went extinct at the end of the late Cretaceous period.”

More than 150 genera have been documented, including over 20 genera from the Jurassic period within China.

“Southwest China is a significant area for Jurassic sauropod discoveries, particularly in the Sichuan Basin,” they added.

The sauropod fauna found in the Jurassic Sichuan Basin was once considered an endemic population distinct from the terrestrial fauna of Pangaea.

This distribution was often explained by the East Asian seclusion hypothesis, suggested to have occurred between the Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods.

However, this hypothesis faces challenges from recent phylogenetic analyses conducted in China, as well as the discovery of Neosaurupod dinosaurs, including a Mamenchisaur dinosaur found in Africa.

The holotype specimen of Tongnanlong Zhimingi was excavated from a construction site in the Dongnan district of the Chonging region within the Sichuan Basin.

This includes three dorsal vertebrae, six caudal vertebrae, scapulae, coracoids, and hind limb bones.

“Our fieldwork indicates that the fossil site belongs to the upper part of the Jurassic. The Monitor formations are situated above Quaternary sediments,” noted the paleontologist.

“The Sorning Formation is composed of purple-red mudstone and sandstone.”

“The layer is rich in invertebrate fossils, including various freshwater Conchostracans, particularly ostracods and stone trails.”

Several vertebrates are identified from this layer, such as fish Ceratodus szechuanensis, turtle Plesiochelys Tatsuensis, and dinosaurs like Mamenchisaurus anyuensis.

Anatomical and phylogenetic studies affirmed that Tongnanlong Zhimingi is part of the sauropod dinosaur family Mamenchisauridae.

“Mamenchisauridae was not a fauna confined to East Asia, but rather had a global distribution during the late Jurassic period,” the researchers concluded.

“Tongnanlong Zhimingi enhances the diversity of Eusauraupods and offers new insights into sauropod diversity and evolutionary developments from the mid-Jurassic to the Late Jurassic as they increased in size.”

Their study was published in the journal Scientific Reports on July 10th.

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X. Wei et al. 2025. New Mamenchisaurus discoveries monitoring the Upper Jurassic formations in the Sichuan Basin, China and their implications for sauropod gigantism. Sci Rep 15, 24808; doi:10.1038/s41598-025-09796-0

Source: www.sci.news

Gigantic Clifftop Boulder in Tonga Reveals Evidence of an Ancient Tsunami

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Locally referred to as Makarahi, meaning “big rock,” this boulder was displaced over 200 m inland by a tsunami approximately 7,000 years ago.

Limestone rock Makarahi. Image credits: Kohler et al. , doi: 10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107567.

The Makarahi boulder measures 14 x 12 x 6.7 m and weighs nearly 1,200 tons, making it the largest known boulder located atop a cliff and one of the largest vibration-transport boulders globally.

This limestone formation is situated 200 meters away from the coastline on the southern shore of Tongatapu, Tonga.

“Our research focused on the southern part of Tongatapu Island, examining coastal cliffs that show signs of past tsunamis,” stated Martin Kohler, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Queensland.

“At the end of our fieldwork day, while conversing with some local farmers, they pointed us toward this rock.”

“I was truly astonished. It was found inland, outside our designated research area, indicating it must have been moved there by a massive tsunami.”

“It was remarkable to witness this large boulder enveloped in lush vegetation.”

“We created a 3D model before returning to the coast to identify a location from which boulders could be dislodged from cliffs over 30 meters high.”

Through numerical modeling, the researchers determined that a wave height of roughly 50 m lasting about 90 seconds would be required to transport the Makarahi boulder from its original cliff edge to its new location.

“The University of Queensland has provided a fantastic opportunity to explore the forces shaping our world,” remarked Dr. Annie Lau, a coastal geomorphologist at the institution.

“The recent tsunami in Tonga in 2022 resulted in six fatalities and extensive damage.”

“Gaining insights into extreme past events is crucial for preparing and assessing risks related to current and future hazards.”

“The findings concerning the Makarahi boulder offer evidence of Holocene Pacific tsunamis that have occurred since about 11,700 years ago.”

“This analysis will enhance our understanding of rock wave transport and improve coastal hazard assessments in tsunami-affected regions worldwide.”

The team’s study is published in the journal Marine Geology.

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Martin Kohler et al. 2025. Investigating the world’s highest boulder atop a cliff: preliminary insights and numerical simulations of transport on cliffs ranging from 30-40 m in Tongatapu (Tonga). Marine Geology 487, 107567; doi:10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107567

Source: www.sci.news

There was a gigantic snake that used to inhabit India

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A new genus and species of giant mazzoid snake that lived in what is now India about 47 million years ago (early mid-Eocene epoch) has been identified from part of a vertebral column excavated in the Indian state of Gujarat.

Artist’s impression Vasuki Indicus.

with scientific name Vasuki Indicus the new species flourished during a warm geological period when average temperatures were estimated to be 28 degrees Celsius.

the ancient snake Matzoidae an extinct group of primarily Gondwanan land snakes, spanning a time range of approximately 100 million years from the Late Cretaceous to the Late Pleistocene.

Paleontologists Debasjit Dutta and Sunil Bajpayee from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee said, “The Mazzoidae existed for about 100 million years, from the Late Cretaceous to the Late Pleistocene, and has a wide geographical range including Africa, Europe, and India.” “They lived in the area,” he said.

“Vasuki Indicus “This represents a lineage of large matzoids that originated in the Indian subcontinent and spread through southern Europe to Africa during the Eocene epoch, approximately 56 to 34 million years ago.”

anterior trunk vertebrae Vasuki Indicus. Scale bar – 5 cm. Image credit: D. Datta & S. Bajpai, doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-58377-0.

A series of 27 well-preserved vertebrae from a fully grown animal. Vasuki Indicus It was recovered from the Panandro lignite mine, part of the Naledi Formation in Gujarat, western India.

The vertebrae are 3.75–6.3 cm (1.5–2.5 in) long and 6.24–11.14 cm (2.5–4.4 in) wide, suggesting a broad cylindrical body.

Vasuki Indicus Estimated lengths reach 11–15 m (36–49 ft), making this species the largest known mudsoid snake.

“This is comparable in size to the longest-living snake ever known, an extinct snake.” Titanoboa” said the researchers.

“The large size is Vasuki Indicus It was a slow-moving ambush predator, similar to an anaconda. “

“Biogeographical considerations, taken together with interactions with other Indian and North African madzoids, suggest that: Vasuki Indicus It represents a lineage of relics of Indian origin,” they added.

“The subsequent collision between India and Asia 50 million years ago led to intercontinental dispersal of this lineage from the subcontinent through southern Eurasia and into northern Africa.”

“Recovery of additional material and new species, including larger forms, may provide further insight into the phylogenetics and biogeography of madzoids.”

of study It was published in the magazine scientific report.

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D. Dutta and S. Bajpai. 2024. The largest known mudsoid snake lived in the warm Eocene of India, suggesting dispersal across Gondwana. science officer 14, 8054; doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-58377-0

Source: www.sci.news

Gigantic ancient ichthyosaur discovered on UK coast may be the biggest marine reptile in history

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Illustration of a carcass of Ichthyotitan severnensis washed up on the beach

Sergey Krasovsky

The fossilized remains of an ancient 200 million-year-old ichthyosaur unearthed on the coast of southwest England may be some of the largest marine reptiles ever discovered.

In 2020, amateur fossil hunters stumbled upon a huge chunk of bone at Blue Anchor Beach in Somerset. Upon further inspection, dean lomax He and his colleagues at the University of Manchester in England quickly realized that it was a fragment of the jawbone of a giant ichthyosaur, a type of reptile that roamed the oceans between 250 million and 90 million years ago. Noticed.

Subsequent excavations on the beach uncovered 11 more fragments, and the team was able to partially piece together the bone at the back of the jaw, called the mandible.

This latest discovery is A 2018 report describing a similar ichthyosaur jawbone Found on another Somerset beach. At the time, the research team did not have enough evidence to identify the species.

“It was clear that this was another giant jawbone,” Lomax said. “So I was very, very excited.”

After comparing the partial exohorn bone with the complete exoskeleton of other ichthyosaurs, the researchers estimated that the entire bone was at least 2 meters long, meaning the animal was about 20 to 25 meters long.

“We're working on something really huge,” Lomax says. “It would definitely be the largest officially described marine reptile.”

The properties of the exoceratops, which match those reported in 2018, mean both fossils must belong to previously undescribed ichthyosaur species, Lomax said.named by the team Ichthyotitan severnensismeaning giant fish lizard of the River Severn.

The site is about 202 million years old, just before the great global extinction event that wiped out many species, including many giant ichthyosaurs.

“They are quite literally the last giants,” Lomax says. “No ichthyosaur will ever come close to this size again.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com