SAN
ANTONIO (AP)--Bones from the spinal column of an Alamosaurus dinosaur,
one of the largest creatures to ever roam the Earth, have been uncovered
and airlifted from their 70 million-year-old tomb in western Texas.
Together,
the bones form a 27-foot-long neck. The largest of the animal's
10 recovered neck bones weighs almost 1,000 pounds, reinforcing
the notion that it was the ancient plant-eating giant of Texas.
``I think
there's no doubt about it,'' Steve Runnells, chief executive officer
of the Dallas Museum of Natural History, told the San Antonio
Express-News in Tuesday's editions. ``It looks like it's probably
going to be around 70 feet long, based on the size of the vertebrae.''
Discovery
of the fossilized vertebrae in Big Bend National Park suggests
that the Alamosaurus species of sauropod dinosaur roamed the Earth
long after scientists thought they had died.
The remains,
discovered by a University of Texas at Dallas researcher, were
flown from the park to the Dallas Museum of Natural History where
they will be studied and displayed. Museum visitors will be able
to watch paleontologists working to preserve the bones behind
a glass wall, Runnells said.
The vertebrae
were found embedded in rock thought to have been deposited in
a river flood plain between 74 million and 66 million years ago.
Dinosaurs became extinct about 65 million years ago.
Some residents
wanted the vertebrae left in their natural setting. But scientists
argued that the only way to study the bones properly and learn
more about dinosaurs was to examine them in a lab setting and
to protect them against erosion and vandalism.
The park will
retain ownership of the bones.
``They are
in good hands,'' said Lisa Lackey, chief of interpretation and
visitor services at the park. ``We wouldn't have let them go otherwise.''
In the future,
Runnells said he would like the museum to build and display a
life-sized model of the colossal creature--named for the New Mexico
trading post where a specimen was first unearthed.
``He may have
to duck his head a little bit, but we could figure it out,'' he
said.
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