Massive Bone Of Jurassic Dinosaur Found In France Belongs To 40-Ton Sauropod

Paleontologists have unearthed the massive thigh bone of a giant dinosaur in France, in what scientists hail as a major discovery. French paleontologists found the femur measuring about 2 meters long in a thick layer of clay at the Angeac-Charente excavation site last week.

Angeac-charente Excavation Site In France

The Angeac Charente's field near the city of Cognac is famous for excavating fossils of the biggest dinosaurs. The newly found bone is one of the more than 7,500 fossils of over 40 species found here since 2010.

Other remarkable find in the area include a 34-centimeter phalanx belonging to a sauropod, which was found in July 2014.

A 140 million-year-old forest was also excavated here in 2017. Researchers have also found 7,000 bones belonging to dinosaurs, crocodiles, and turtles.

The latest find in the area is a well-preserved bone that belonged to one of the largest animals that walked on the planet.

Major Discovery

Researchers think the bone belonged to a sauropod, a plant-eating dinosaur characterized by long neck and tail. This particular animal lived more than 140 million years ago during the late Jurassic era.

Ronan Allain, paleontologist at the National History Museum of Paris, said these prehistoric creatures likely weighed between 40 and 50 tons.

Allain called the find a major discovery, citing the femur's good state of preservation, which rarely happens in the remains of large animals.

"We can see the insertions of muscles and tendons and scars" Allain said. "This is rare for big pieces which tend to collapse in on themselves and fragment."

Sauropods

Sauropods are among the biggest creatures that lived on the planet.

The dinosaur Patagotitan mayorum, one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered is a sauropod. It spanned 120 feet in length and weighed 70 tons. It belonged to the group of titanosaurs, the last surviving group of sauropods.