Argentinian researchers discover fossil from the dawn of the dinosaur age: Video

The near-complete skeleton belongs to a new species named Huayracursor jaguensis, which lived around 230 million years ago during the Late Triassic period.

Led by palaeontologist Martín D. Ezcurra, the research team found the fossil remarkably well preserved — a rare opportunity to study one of the earliest steps in dinosaur evolution. According to Ezcurra, the specimen stood out immediately because of its size. While most dinosaurs from that era were under a metre long and weighed less than ten kilograms, Huayracursor measured roughly two metres in length and weighed about twenty kilograms.

Another distinctive feature is its unusually elongated neck, which links the species to the sauropodomorph lineage — the group that would later produce the colossal, long-necked giants such as Argentinosaurus and Patagotitan. Ezcurra explained that these early anatomical traits offer valuable insight into how such massive plant-eating dinosaurs evolved from their smaller ancestors.

The species’ name reflects both scientific precision and cultural homage. Huayra means “wind” in Quechua, while cursor translates as “runner” in Latin — together, “runner of the wind,” a nod to the fierce winds of La Rioja that accompany every field expedition.

The discovery adds a vital piece to the puzzle of dinosaur origins in South America, a region that continues to yield some of the most ancient and complete fossils on record.