Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia

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Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia
Dinosaurs - Giants of Patagonia Poster.png
Promotional poster for Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia
Directed byMarc Fafard
Written byMarc Fafard
Produced byCarl Samson
Narrated by Donald Sutherland
CinematographyWilliam Reeve
Edited byRené Caron
Distributed bySky High Entertainment
Release date
  • April 5, 2007 (2007-04-05)
Running time
40 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia is a 2007 film about life in the Early Cretaceous of Patagonia, southern South America. It features paleontologist Rodolfo Coria and his work, with Donald Sutherland acting as main narrator. [1]

Contents

Story

The movie opens on a scene from approximately 65 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous of North America. The narrator explains that a massive comet is about to arrive to mark the end of dinosaurs, before taking us back to the Late Jurassic, circa 150 million years ago. From the announced end of the dinosaurs, this time travel serves the purpose of introducing us the biggest creatures to have ever lived on Earth.

We are first introduced to the ocean life of the Late Jurassic period. The first of these is an ichthyosaur, a prehistoric creature resembling a dolphin, with several individuals shown hunting, before one is shown escaping from a Liopleurodon . The movie then takes us to the Early Cretaceous of South America, approximately 90 million years ago.

From this point on, the narrative alternatingly takes us between the work of Rodolfo Coria and the Early Cretaceous. Of all the species of dinosaurs featured, two receive the most focus: Argentinosaurus and Giganotosaurus . The reason for this focus is easily explained by the fact that those two species are Coria's most important discovery. Of these species, the narrator presents two individuals: Strong One (a male Argentinosaurus) and Long Tooth (a female Giganotosaurus).

Strong One is first shown among an Argentinosaurus nest with hatchlings venturing out. The narrator announces that if Strong One survives, he will grow to become one of the largest creatures the Earth has ever known. Then, depicting just how precarious life was, a Unenlagia arrives and steals an egg, which it runs off with to feast on elsewhere. At this point, we travel back to the present day in order to witness Rodolfo Coria's discovery of Argentinosaurus. The narrator explains that Coria owns his own museum, the Museo Carmen Funes (the museum is featured in the movie as we see Rodolfo Coria in his museum with one of his daughters, as he shows her casts of Argentinosaurus and Giganotosaurus skeletons). We see Coria as he arrives at a digging site with his daughters, where he and his team work on digging out an enormous backbone, which one scientist declares larger than any other bone he had seen. They discover that the bone belonged to a large sauropod. They named it Argentinosaurus, meaning "Argentinian lizard".

Following this, we are shown the discovery of a large theropod. Coria emerges from his car and takes a picture of a dinosaur footprint, then he explains that they found more giant bones first thought to belong to another sauropod, but they were later found out to belong to a new theropod dinosaur they named Giganotosaurus, meaning "giant southern lizard". This leads to a new narrative jump through time, bringing us back to the Early Cretaceous. Unlike the previously featured Argentinosaurus nest, which was left unprotected, a mother Giganotosaurus is shown guarding her nest from an Unenlagia. The narrator announces that this parental care was only common to theropods. The female manages to drive the threat away, but only one hatchling hatches: Long Tooth.

The story features both individuals as they grow, highlighting the differences and similarities between both. Strong One as a juvenile is already able to eat from the tops of the trees. Meanwhile, Long Tooth hasn't had much of a growth spurt just yet and is hunting insects and small prey animals before moving on to larger prey. A familiar face shows up by now, an Unenlagia who the narrator introduces as Sharp Feathers, appears to devour an insect Long Tooth had been chasing and she drives him off a cliff. The narrator then explains that even though Sharp Feathers had feathers (as his name indicates) and resembled a bird, he could not fly. Luckily though, he survives the fall.

Rodolfo Coria also intervenes to answer a number of questions about the two species, such as whether the giganotosaurids hunted in packs. The narrator explains that they derived this conclusion from research around the site where the Giganotosaurus was discovered, where several Mapusaurus, a very close relative of which, were also found. The viewers then get to witness one of these hunting parties, as we go back to 90 million years B.C. to see Long Tooth now fully-grown. She now lives in a pack, who are currently stalking the Argentinosaurus herd. The chosen victim is Strong One, who is also now fully-grown, and he gets minorily wounded, but still stands firm and eventually stops the pack from hunting. One of them is killed by his tail in the process and, displaying the cruelity of life, is eaten by Long Tooth and the others. Sharp Feathers, who has survived the fall earlier, briefly interrupts, but is scared off by the gigantosaurs.

The movie then comes full circle, as it goes back to the Late Cretaceous we were shown in the introduction, more precisely in North America where we are introduced to the Quetzalcoatlus , a giant pterosaur capable of flight with wings of a diameter of over 12 meters. As announced, the end of the dinosaurs comes to be and the comet crashes on Earth, killing a Tyrannosaurus rex on screen. The after effects of the crash are explained through a scene featuring the changing scenery as a small group of Argentinosaurus progresses through the land. Eventually, as snow starts to fall and the trees are shown to be bare, one sauropod collapses and the viewer understands that this is the end of all dinosaurs.

The movie also covers various theories regarding the Origin of Birds, explaining that some dinosaurs have evolved to become the birds that we know today.

Characters

Others:

In 2009, the Quebec City Maison Hamel-Bruneau museum featured an exhibition displaying models created for the purpose of the movie, several fossils (including dinosaur cranium molds) and clips from the movie. The exhibition served to display the bridge between the work of paleontologists and the creation of a 3D movie featuring digitally created dinosaurs.

Crew

Related Research Articles

<i>Argentinosaurus</i> Late Cretaceous giant sauropod dinosaur genus

Argentinosaurus is a genus of giant sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now Argentina. Although it is only known from fragmentary remains, Argentinosaurus is one of the largest known land animals of all time, perhaps the largest, measuring 30–35 m (98–115 ft) long and weighing 65–80 t. It was a member of Titanosauria, the dominant group of sauropods during the Cretaceous. It is widely regarded by many paleontologists as the biggest dinosaur ever, and perhaps lengthwise the longest animal ever, though both claims have no concrete evidence yet.

<i>Giganotosaurus</i> Carcharodontosaurid dinosaur genus from the late Cretaceous period

Giganotosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Argentina, during the early Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 99.6 to 95 million years ago. The holotype specimen was discovered in the Candeleros Formation of Patagonia in 1993 and is almost 70% complete. The animal was named Giganotosaurus carolinii in 1995; the genus name translates to "giant southern lizard", and the specific name honors the discoverer, Ruben Carolini. A dentary bone, a tooth, and some tracks, discovered before the holotype, were later assigned to this animal. The genus attracted much interest and became part of a scientific debate about the maximum sizes of theropod dinosaurs.

<i>Carcharodontosaurus</i> Genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaur from the Cretaceous period

Carcharodontosaurus is a genus of carnivorous theropod dinosaur that lived in North Africa from about 100 to 94 million years ago during the Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous. Two teeth of the genus, now lost, were first described from Algeria by French paleontologists Charles Depéret and Justin Savornin as Megalosaurus saharicus. A partial skeleton was collected by crews of German paleontologist Ernst Stromer during a 1914 expedition to Egypt. Stromer did not report the Egyptian find until 1931, in which he dubbed the novel genus Carcharodontosaurus, making the type species C. saharicus. Unfortunately, this skeleton was destroyed during the Second World War. In 1995 a nearly complete skull of C. saharicus, the first well-preserved specimen to be found in almost a century, was discovered in the Kem Kem Beds of Morocco; it was designated the neotype in 1996. Fossils unearthed from the Echkar Formation of northern Niger were described and named as another species, C. iguidensis, in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museo Carmen Funes</span> Paleontology museum in Plaza Huincul, Neuquén, Argentina

Museo Municipal Carmen Funes, or, the Carmen Funes Municipal Museum, is a museum of paleontology in Plaza Huincul, Neuquén Province, Argentina. It is best known for its collection of dinosaur fossils, including the only specimen of the largest recorded dinosaur remains, Argentinosaurus huinculensis, and the only known sauropod embryos, which were discovered at a huge nesting site in Auca Mahuida, Patagonia. Its standard abbreviation is MCF-PVPH, or just PVPH to denote the paleontological collection.

<i>Buitreraptor</i> Dromaeosaurid dinosaur genus from the Late Cretaceous

Buitreraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaurs that lived during the Late Cretaceous of Argentina at the Candeleros Formation. Buitreraptor was described in 2005 and the type species is Buitreraptor gonzalezorum. It was rooster-sized and had a very elongated head with many small teeth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carcharodontosauridae</span> Extinct family of dinosaurs

Carcharodontosauridae is a group of carnivorous theropod dinosaurs. In 1931, Ernst Stromer named Carcharodontosauridae as a family, which, in modern paleontology, indicates a clade within Carnosauria. Carcharodontosaurids include some of the largest land predators ever known: Giganotosaurus, Mapusaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, and Tyrannotitan all rivaled Tyrannosaurus in size. Estimates give a maximum weight of 8–10 metric tons for the largest carcharodontosaurids, while the smallest carcharodontosaurids were estimated to have weighed at least 500 kilograms (1,100 lb).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodolfo Coria</span> Argentine paleontologist

Rodolfo Aníbal Coria, is an Argentine paleontologist.

<i>Megaraptor</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Megaraptor is a genus of large theropod dinosaur that lived in the ages of the Late Cretaceous. Its fossils have been discovered in the Patagonian Portezuelo Formation of Argentina, South America. Initially thought to have been a giant dromaeosaur-like coelurosaur, it was classified as a neovenatorid allosauroid in previous phylogenies, but more recent phylogeny and discoveries of related megaraptoran genera has placed it as either a basal tyrannosauroid or a basal coelurosaur with some studies still considering it a neovenatorid.

<i>Mapusaurus</i> Carcharodontosaurid dinosaur genus from the Late Cretaceous

Mapusaurus was a giant carcharodontosaurid carnosaurian dinosaur from Argentina during the Turonian age of the Late Cretaceous.

<i>Puertasaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Puertasaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous Period. It is known from a single specimen recovered from sedimentary rocks of the Cerro Fortaleza Formation in southwestern Patagonia, Argentina, which probably is Campanian or Maastrichtian in age. The only species is Puertasaurus reuili. Described by the paleontologist Fernando Novas and colleagues in 2005, it was named in honor of Pablo Puerta and Santiago Reuil, who discovered and prepared the specimen. It consists of four well-preserved vertebrae, including one cervical, one dorsal, and two caudal vertebrae. Puertasaurus is a member of Titanosauria, the dominant group of sauropods during the Cretaceous.

<i>When Dinosaurs Roamed America</i> 2001 American TV series or program

When Dinosaurs Roamed America is a two-hour American television program that first aired on the Discovery Channel on July 15, 2001. The show features the reign of the non-avian dinosaurs in America over the course of more than 160 million years, through five different segments, each with their own variety of flora and fauna.

<i>National Geographic Dinosaurs</i> 2001 book by Paul Barrett

National Geographic Dinosaurs is a nonfiction reference book on dinosaurs, written by Paul Barrett, with illustrations by Raúl Martín, and an introduction by Kevin Padian. It was published in 2001 by National Geographic.

Plaza Huincul is a small city in Neuquen province, with a population of around 13,000 people, located in southwestern Argentina. It is approximately 1,288 km (800 mi) south-west from the capital, Buenos Aires. Plaza Huincul is located in the middle of the desert and grew due to an oil discovery in the area in 1918. It is said that the largest fossils in the world are found there; such as Argentinosaurus, Giganotosaurus, and Mapusaurus.

<i>Patagotitan</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Patagotitan is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Cerro Barcino Formation in Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina. The genus contains a single species known from at least six young adult individuals, Patagotitan mayorum, which was first announced in 2014 and then named in 2017 by José Carballido and colleagues. Preliminary studies and press releases suggested that Patagotitan was the largest known titanosaur and land animal overall, with an estimated length of 37 m (121 ft) and an estimated weight of 69 tonnes. Later research revised the length estimate down to 31 m (102 ft) and weight estimates down to approximately 50–57 tonnes, suggesting that Patagotitan was of a similar size to, if not smaller than, its closest relatives Argentinosaurus and Puertasaurus. Still, Patagotitan is one of the most-known titanosaurs, and so its interrelationships with other titanosaurs have been relatively consistent in phylogenetic analyses. This led to its use in a re-definition of the group Colossosauria by Carballido and colleagues in 2022.

<i>Taurovenator</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Taurovenator is a large carcharodontosaurid theropod from the late Cretaceous Huincul Formation of Argentina that lived during the Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous. It is monotypic, containing only one species, T. violantei.

<i>Murusraptor</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Murusraptor is a genus of carnivorous megaraptoran theropod dinosaur from the Sierra Barrosa Formation, part of the Neuquén Group of Patagonia, in Argentina, South America. It is known from a single specimen that consists of a partial skull, ribs, partial pelvis, leg and other assorted skeletal elements.

Leonardo Salgado is an Argentine palaeontologist with a special interest in dinosaurs of the Cretaceous period and other investigations of the palaeobiology of fossil bearing geological formations. Salgado is the leading or coauthor of several taxa, notably the large carnivorous species, Giganotosaurus carolinii, discovered in Patagonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernesto Bachmann Paleontological Museum</span> Science museum, Local museum in Neuquén Province, Argentina

The Ernesto Bachmann Paleontological Museum (MEB) in Villa El Chocón, Neuquén Province, Argentina, is a municipal museum dedicated to the paleontology, archaeology and history of Villa El Chocón and its surroundings.

<i>Lajasvenator</i> Genus of carcharodontosaurid (fossil)

Lajasvenator is a genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaur from the Mulichinco Formation from Neuquén Province in Argentina. The type and only species is Lajasvenator ascheriae. It was probably one of the smallest known allosauroids, being approximately only half the length of Concavenator, about 2.9 m (9.5 ft).

<i>Meraxes</i> Genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaurs

Meraxes is a genus of large carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Huincul Formation of Patagonia, Argentina. The genus contains a single species, Meraxes gigas.

References

  1. Esposito, Michael (2007-06-15). "3D dinosaurs an education, not a horror". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2024-02-02.