Archeologists Unearth Huge Dinosaur in Egypt

University of Pennsylvania archeologists have unearthed a gargantuan dinosaur in a corner of Egypt that paleontologists have ignored since World War II, when earlier finds from the region stored in German museums were blasted from existence by Allied warplanes. They report in Friday’s Science that the new species, dubbed Paralititan stromeri, or tidal giant, walked in ancient mangrove swamps in what is now the Sahara Desert.

A 67-inch humerus--the bone of the upper front limb--found by the team indicates that the tidal giant is very close in size to Argentinosaurus, currently the largest known species. Doctoral student Joshua B. Smith estimates that the beast may have measured 80 to 100 feet long and weighed 60 to 80 tons.

Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II