3D Rendered Animation of Argentinosaurus. Plain White Background. Professional Studio Lighting

NAME: BRA DINOSAUR 20071015I TAPE: EF07/1236 IN_TIME: 11:25:32:22 DURATION: 00:01:34:11 SOURCES: AP TELEVISION DATELINE: Rio de Janeiro - 15 Oct 2007 RESTRICTIONS: SHOTLIST: 1. Mid of Argentine palaeontologist unveiling fossilised dinosaur vertebrae 2. Wide of palaeontologists unveiling dinosaur fossils 3. Pan of dinosaur claws 4. Mid of bones belonging to other species found in the same site 5. Team of Brazilian and Argentine palaeontologists posing next to vertebrae 6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Jorge Calvo, Director of Palaeontology centre of the National University of Comahue in Argentina: "The neck alone must have been 17 metres (56 feet) long. The tail vertebra measure 65 centimetres (28 inches). Looking at all the other vertebrae, we figured the tail probably measured 15 metres (49 feet). So, we estimate that the animal must have been 32 to 34 metres (105 to 112 feet) long." 7. Artist's impression of what scientists believe dinosaur would have looked like 8. Tilt up of picture 9. Palaeontologist presenting vertebrae 10. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Alexander Kellner, Palaeontologist, Rio de Janeiro's National Museum: "As far as I know, there is no other place in the world where there is such a large and diverse quantity of fossils in such small area. That is truly unique." 11. Various close-ups of fossils 12. Wide of palaeontologists presenting discoveries STORYLINE: The skeleton of what could be a new dinosaur species - a giant, Patagonian plant-eater - has been uncovered in Argentina. At more than 32 metres (105 feet) long, it is among the largest ever found, scientists said on Monday. Scientists from Argentina and Brazil said the Patagonian dinosaur appeared to represent a previously unknown species, because of the unique structure of its neck. They named it Futalognkosaurus dukei after the Mapuche Indian words for "giant" and "chief," and for Duke Energy Argentina, which helped fund the skeleton's excavation. Jorge Calvo, director of paleontology centre of National University of Comahue, Argentina, was lead author of a study on the dinosaur published in the peer-reviewed Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. "The neck alone must have been 17 metres (56 feet) long," he said. "The tail vertebra measure 65 centimetres (28 inches). Looking at all the other vertebrae, we figured the tail probably measured 15 metres (49 feet). So, we estimate that the animal must have been 32 to 34 metres (105 to 112 feet) long." Calvo's team began the excavation on the banks of Lake Barreales in the Argentine Patagonia in 2000. Over seven years scientists have recovered the creature's neck, back region, hips and the first vertebra of its tail. The project has included the participation of scientists from Argentina, Brazil and Italy. The creature's tail vertebrae measures 65 centimetres (26 inches). Calvo added that, besides its prodigious length, the dinosaur was also extremely tall. He estimated that it stood over 13 metres (43 feet) tall. The excavated spinal column alone weighed about 8 metric tons (9 tons). Scientists said the giant herbivore would have walked the Earth some 88 (m) million years ago during the late Cretaceous period. The site where Futalognkosaurus was found has been a bonanza for palaeontologists, yielding more than 1,000 specimens, including 240 fossil plants, 300 teeth and the remains of several other dinosaurs. Alexander Kellner, a palaeontologist from Rio de Janeiro's National Museum and the editor of Brazilian Academy of Science's "Anais," called the area "truly unique". "There is no other place in the world where there is such a large and diverse quantity of fossils in such small area," Kellner said. Patagonia also was home to the other two largest dinosaur skeletons found to date - Argentinosaurus, at around 35 metres (115 feet) long, and Puertasaurus reuili, between 35 and 40 metres (115 feet to 131 feet) long. Comparison between the three herbivores, however, is difficult because scientists have only found few vertebrae of Puertasaurus and, while the skeleton of Futalognkosaurus is fairly complete, scientists have not uncovered any bones from its limbs. The findings were published in the most recent issue of the Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, peer-reviewed journal.

TAPE_NUMBER: EF00/0102 IN_TIME: 04:14:27 - 10:31:27 // 13:28:20 - 19:17:44 LENGTH: 02:01 SOURCES: CH 13 RESTRICTIONS: No Access Argentina/Internet FEED: VARIOUS (THE ABOVE TIME-CODE IS TIME-OF-DAY) SCRIPT: Spanish/Nat Experts believe ancient fossils found recently in Argentina are thought to belong to the biggest dinosaur species ever found. The fossils were discovered in a desolate area of Patagonia in the south of the country and belong to a creature scientists believe could have been up to 45 feet (14 metres) tall. The remains were unearthed at La Buitrera, or The Vulture Cage. La Buitrera is about 50 miles (80 kilometres) from the town of Cipolletti in southern Rio Negro province. It is a sparse land full of thorny scrub where the air smells like a rich combination of oregano and mint and temperatures regularly soar over 104 degrees (40 Celsius). The big-sky flatlands are inhabited by nandus, ostrich-like birds, mountain goats and wild horses. They also contain skeletons picked bare by vultures -- and dinosaur bones rivalling those of China's Gobi Desert and western Canada's Alberta province. The new dinosaur find is known as the 'Rio Grande Giant' and consists of about 20 individual body parts including femurs, ribs and long bones that lie strewn about the excavation site. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "They were a dinosaur with a long tale. They are one of the biggest dinosaurs that we know of." SUPER CAPTION: Jorge Gonzalez, Student The closest rival is the Argentinosaurus discovered in the same region. It was the largest type of dinosaur ever found, but the new discovery would be 26 feet (8 metres) longer. The body shape would be the same: small head; serpentine neck, barrel-shaped middle and a long tail. It would have weighed in at 80 tonnes or more. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "Up to now we have been finding cervical vertebrae belonging to the dinosaur. They are enormous, about one metre twenty. This is very rare. There are few animals in the world that reach these dimensions." SUPER CAPTION: Sebastian Apesteguia, Expedition leader Argentine paleontologist Sebastian Apesteguia thought he had come across something interesting when he spoke to herdsman Raul Avelas, who talked of huge bones on his patch of what is known as Argentina's badlands. Apesteguia and his team went to the area and found two cervical vertebrae each measuring 3.84 feet (1.2 metres), the biggest ever unearthed. With 10 to 12 vertebrae making up the neck, scientists envisage a plant-eating saropod stretching 154-160 feet (48-50 metres) from head to tail and towering 45 feet (14 metres). That is roughly half a city block long and five stories high. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "I found them when I was fourteen or fifteen. (Q) Did you tell anyone? (A) No, I never told anyone." SUPER CAPTION: Raul Avelas, Man who found bones Dagger-toothed Giganotosaurus, a bigger version of Tyrannosaurus Rex and the largest flesh-eater ever identified, was uncovered nearby in 1993, along with another carnivore still being studied that may have been even bigger. Hundreds of dinosaur eggs were also found in an extinct volcano in 1998. In the Cretaceous period 100 million years ago, La Buitrera was a forested plain dotted by lakes and sluiced by a huge river that probably flowed into the Pacivi, unobstructed by the Andes mountain range, which had yet to exist. Bones of dinosaurs that died along the river were swept downstream and dumped on a bank that is now hard, brown sedimentary rock. Craning its long neck to eat fruits and leaves from the trees dotting the plain, the vegetarian beast probably ran in packs in the style of elephants, experts say. It is expected that the specimens, which have a combined weight exceeding 440 pounds (200 kg), will have to be flown by helicopter to the Florentino Ameghino museum. SHOTLIST: XFA La Buitrera, Recent 1. Wide of mountains 2. Road seen from moving car 3. Passing countryside from inside car 4. Archaeologists pushing car 5. Pan down from hilltop to mountain pass 6. Various of paleontologists working at excavation site 7. Close up of paleontologist 8. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Jorge Gonzalez, Student 9. Gonzalez pointing to excavation site 10. Various of paleontologists at site 11.SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Sebastian Apesteguia, Expedition leader 12. Wide of site 13. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Raul Avelas, Man who found bones 14. Various of discovery laid out in room 15. Various of site with people working?