100-FOOT DINOSAUR DISCOVERED IN EGYPTIAN DESERT

100-FOOT DINOSAUR DISCOVERED IN EGYPTIAN DESERT WASHINGTON, JUNE 1 (KUNA) -- A 100-FOOT DINASAUR HAS RECENTLY BEEN DISCOVERED IN THE EGYPTIAN DESERT, A DISCOVERY THAT MIGHT REOPEN A LOST CHAPTER IN PALEONTOLOGY, THE USA TODAY REPORTED ON FRIDAY. THE DINOSAUR, PARALITITAN STROMERI, OR TIDAL GIANT, WAS UNEARTHED OUTSIDE THE BAHARIYA OASIS IN THE SAHARA, ABOUT 185 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CAIRO. THE DISCOVERY, 103 FOSSIL PIECES FROM THE ESTIMATED 75-TON DINOSAUR, IS REPORTED IN TODAY'S SCIENCE JOURNAL. "HE WAS AN ENORMOUS BEAST BY ANYBODY'S RECKONING," SAYS RESEARCH TEAM LEADER JOSHUA SMITH OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA IN PHILADELPHIA. THE PARALITITAN, THE SECOND LARGEST DINOSAUR SPECIES DISCOVERED, BELONGS TO THE CLASS OF "TITANOSAURS" STOCKY, FOUR-LEGGED PLANT-EATERS WITH LONG NECKS AND TAILS. THE DISCOVERY WAS GREETED WITH GREAT INTEREST BY PALEONTOLOGISTS. "MOST OF THE AFRICAN SURFACE AWAITS TO BE EXPLORED," SAYS RODOLFO CORIA OF ARGENTINA'S MUSEO CARMEN FUNES. HE IS THE LEADER OF THE TEAM THAT DISCOVERED ARGENTINOSAURUS, A 100-TON TITANOSAUR THAT IS THE LARGEST DINOSAUR EVER DISCOVERED. ACCORDING TO SMITH, THE OASIS WAS A GROVE SWAMP SOME 94 MILLION YEARS AGO. "NO ONE HAD DISCOVERED A DINOSAUR AT THE SITE SINCE 1936." BY THAT YEAR, GERMAN PALEONTOLOGIST ERNST STROMER (FROM WHOM THE SECOND HALF OF PARALITITAN'S NAME DERIVES) HAD DISCOVERED FOSSILS OF 15 DINOSAURS AT THE OASIS AND SENT THEM TO MUNICH. MOST WERE DESTROYED DURING THE WORLD WAR II BOMBING OF THE CITY. THE FOSSILS, DISCOVERED BY THE SMITH TEAM, ARE IN PHILADELPHIA FOR PRESERVATION AND ANALYSIS BEFORE BEING RETURNED TO EGYPTIAN ANTIQUITIES OFFICIALS. (END) AJ.MAB KUNA 011727 Jun 01NNNN