A nearly complete skeleton of a small, long-necked animal named “Hoirasaurus gigensis” was found in Argentina.
Scientists in Argentina have found the fossilized bones of one of the world’s oldest dinosaur species in the Andes Mountains, the Connecticut Research Agency announced Wednesday.
A paleontological team led by the institute found the almost complete skeleton of the small long-necked reptile, named Huayracursor Jaguensis, at an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,842 feet) in Argentina’s northwest.
The team found part of the dinosaur’s skull, a complete vertebral column that extends to the tail, and nearly intact foreskin and hindlimbs, Connekett said.
It was published in Discovery The nature magazine, with the authors saying it could inform studies of evolution.
These species lived at the end of the Triassic period, a geological period in which the first dinosaurs and the ancestors of mammals began to appear.
Agustin Martinelli, one of the authors, said that Hoirasser is estimated to have roamed the Earth between 230 and 225 million years ago, making it one of the world’s oldest dinosaurs.
The species lived at the end of the Triassic period, during which the first dinosaurs and ancestors of mammals began to appear, the researchers said.
Although the discovered species is part of a lineage of herbivorous dinosaurs that includes long-necked giants, the researchers noted that an adult Horser gigensis measured only two meters in length and weighed about 18 kilograms (40 pounds).
More information:
A long-necked early dinosaur from a newly discovered Upper Triassic Basin in the Andes, E. Martin Hechnelitner et al. The nature (2025) doi: 10.1038/S41586-025-09634-3
25 2025 AFP
Reference: World’s oldest dinosaurs discovered in Argentina (2025, October 16) Retrieved October 16, 2025 from https://phys.org/news/2025-10-oldest-dest-dinosaurs-argentina.html
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