"Bosques Jurásicos", by the artist Jorge Blanco - Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales

Together with the species' changes there were geographical and climatic changes too. By that time there was only one continent known as Pangea. The Andean Mountain Range had not been formed yet, and the sea reached up to the current Neuquén Province. Later on, the sea waters left place to the big lakes, and to an exuberant vegetation, making the ideal habitat for the dinosaurs life.
Along the Jurassic Period, the giants lived quietly there, feeding of the coniferous forests and of the big trees. When the Andean mountain range was formed along the Tertiary, there was a second water advance coming from the Atlantic Ocean. This fact was very important for the present work of the paleontologists, because the sedimentary processes contributed to keep the fossils. More information

A hundred years ago, the Patagonia territory was made of prairies, full of forests, rivers, and streams, The Andean mountain range did not exist though there were active volcanoes. The Pacific Ocean reached up to there. The climate was tropical or wet subtropical.

Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales

Among the Cretaceous vegetation there were "araucarias", ginkos, and other primitive plants, such as ferns, cycas and the first flower plants appeared. By that time, the Giganotosaurus Carolini, the biggest dinosaur found up to now, lived there. It was about 14 meters long. There were also some carnivorous and herbivorous smaller animals, such as the Andesaurus Delgadoi, water turtles, some small mammals, flying reptiles as the Pterosaurian, and insects such as: dragonflies, though they were bigger than the current ones.

Thirty different places full of fossils remains were found in Neuquén Province along the last three decades. About 40 dinosaurs species have been identified in Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Mendoza, La Rioja, Chubut, Neuquén, Río Negro, Santa Cruz, and even in the Antarctic Continent. These would represent about 10% of the whole species found round the world up to now, showing us the pale ontological relevance of Argentina in connection with prehistory discoveries and with the dinosaurs primitive ecosystem.

Along the whole Patagonia's lands, there are a lot of stone bones "fro-lil" as the Mapuches called them.

The most important discoveries are the following ones:
(Please, click on the species or zones of your interest)

Argentinean paleontologists

Florentino Ameghino: Since he was very young, he devoted to look for fossils remains. His friends called him "the crazy of the bones". Later on he was regarded as the Father of the Argentinean Paleontology.

In the 18th C, Fray Manuel de Torres had done something to the respect. We can also mention to Francisco Javier Muñiz as a pioneer. But Ameghino was the one that worried about investigating fossils remains and tried to know their secrets.

In 1963, Osvaldo Reig let us know three new dinosaur species from Ischigualasto, San Juan Province.

José F. Bonaparte was obviously the teacher of all the Argentinean Paleontologists. His name is connected with important discoveries such as: the Patagosaurus Fariasi, the Pratnitzkysaurus Floresi, the Carnotaurus Sastrei, the Abelisaurus Comahuensis, and the Amargosaurus Cazaui among other ones. Bonaparte was accompanied by several very well known paleontologists such as: Zulma Gasparini, Andrea Arcucci, Fernando Novas, Rodolfo Coria, Leonardo Salgado, Jorge Calvo, Pablo Puerta, Sergio Dávila, and Bernardo González Riga among others.

Acknowledgments

Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia (Natural Sciences Argentinean Museum), Buenos Aires City, Argentina. We would like to thank them for all the material they gave us, making this report possible, and to all its scientists and staff for their valuable help.

Rubén Davicino, geologist, graduated at Córdoba National University for his help about the Cosmic Calendar by Carl Sagan.

La Plata Natural Sciences Museum

Lic. Andrea N. Martinuzzi for her valuable help in the compilation of data about the Argentinean dinosaurs.

© Argentina On View Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales

Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "BERNARDINO RIVADAVIA"
(Argentinean Museum of Natural Sciences) - Buenos Aires City

Its origin is mixed with the one of the Argentinean Republic itself. It was founded by Bernardino Rivadavia on June 27th 1812, and it was lately confirmed by a decree on December 31s,t,1923. At first it was placed at the Santo Domingo Monastery at the current Manzana de las Luces and in some buildings of the Monserrat Square. In 1937 it was definitely set up at the present building, It shows the architectonical style of the time.

The present building is only a third part of the original project, and it shows in its ornamental details the influence of the indigenous flora and fauna. Several important sculptors have worked on it, such as: Carlos Oliva Navarro, Luis Rovatti, Juan del Prete, Emilio Sarniguet, and Donato Proietto.

The owls that symbolize wisdom are used as ornaments over the first floor windows. There is also a brass spider-web ornamenting the main entrance. It has two upper floors and an underground where the scientists work. It is also used as a deposit of a lot of materials found by the expeditions organized by the Museum. They are carried out along the Argentinean territory.

© Argentina On View Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales

Visits timetable: Monday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
School visits: visguia@musbr.org.secyt.gov.ar
Information: Tel/fax (54-11) 4982-4494
Address: Angel Gallardo 490 - (C1405DJR) Buenos Aires - Argentina
Tel/fax: (54-11) 4982-1154/4494
www.macn.secyt.gov.ar
postmast@musbr.org.secyt.gov.ar

CARMEN FUNES Museum - Plaza Huincul, Neuquén

It was created in 1984 by a municipal disposition. Its name is due to one of the place's pioneer.
Nowadays it is located on 55 Córdoba Avenue, Plaza Huincul. It has a very big exhibition area, workshops and stores. It houses an important collection of fossils vertebrates, that includes 11 holotypes (the ones in which the species description was based on) They belong to different kinds of dinosaurs. It also has "the only one collection in the whole world of embryos of embrional skin of sauropods".
It keeps several elements belonging to the regional history, from the pioneers' actions to the first testimonies of the beginnings of the oil activity in Neuquén.
The Museum is open everyday except on Christmas Day, New Year, and on May 1st. In winter (April to September ) it is open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and in Summer (October to March) from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Information: 55 Córdoba Avenue, (Zip Code 8318) Plaza Huincul, Neuquén Province. Tel/Fax 0299-4965846.

© Argentina On View Museo de Ciencias Naturales de La Plata

Museo de Ciencias Naturales de La Plata
(Museum of Natural Sciences of La Plata)

It was created in October 1877, by a provincial law. It was called "Museo Antropológico y Arqueológico.de Buenos Aires". Perito Francisco Pascacio Moreno was his chairman along his whole life.
Buenos Aires was federalized in 1880 and, on November 19th 1882, La Plata became the Province's Capital city. The museum was moved there in July 1884 by that time the building construction began.
It was finished in 1889 but it was open on November 19th, 1888.
In 1906, when La Plata University was founded the museum was incorporated to it, beginning the teaching of Natural Sciences.
From 1987 onwards the Museum Foundation is in charge of collecting the funds to assist the museum.

Timetable: Monday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in winter, and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in summer, except on January 1st, May 1st, and December 25th.
Information: Tel: (0221) 425-7744/9161/9638
Address: Paseo del Bosque - (1900) La Plata, Buenos Aires Province.
www.fcnym.unlp.edu.ar
museo@museo.fcnym.unlp.edu.ar

Recommended book

"Dinosaurios de América del Sur" by José F. Bonaparte
2º Edition, 400 copies, 1996
(only Spanish language)

Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Recommended Links

Argentinean Museums:

www.macn.secyt.gov.ar (Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Argentinean Museum)
www.cpatagonia.com/mef (Egidio Feruglio Museum)
www.mef.org.ar (Egidio Feruglio Museum)
www.fcnym.unlp.edu.ar (La Plata Natural Sciences Museum)
www.mineralesyfosiles.com.ar/museumse.htm (List of paleontology and geology museums of Argentina)

Other connected links:

www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibit/geology.html (Geological Eras)
geologyone.com/esa/geotime/time/scale.gif (Geological Eras)
www.geologyone.com/esa/geotime/geotime.html
www.dinodata.net/Dd/Namelist/TIME/Cretaceous%20Late.htm (Complete information about Eras and dinosaurs)
www.lafacu.com/apuntes/geografia/eras_geolo/default.htm (Geological Eras in Spanish)
www.triptico.com/misc/geolo.html (Geological Eras in Spanish)
www.acnatsci.org/gigapage/taletape.html (differences between T-Rex and Giganotosaurus)
www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/dinos/Giganotosaurus.html
www.acnatsci.org/gigapage/expert.html (the Giganotosaurus´ skull is the biggest ever found)
www.chocon.com (Giganotosaurus carolinii in Spanish)
www.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/10/18/dinosaurs.argentina (Giganotosaurus carolinii)
www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/geology/anim13.html (Geological Eras)
www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/vendian/vendian.html (first animals)
www.geo.ucalgary.ca/~macrae/timescale/timescale.html (Geological Eras)
www.uaf.edu/geology/geo_time.html (Geological Eras)
www.es-designs.com/geol105/timescale (Geological Eras)
vishnu.glg.nau.edu/rcb/globaltext.html (Pangea- Geological Eras)
www.unet.edu.ve/~frey/varios/entomologia/eras (Geological Eras in Spanish)
www.tyrrellmuseum.com/expeditions/argentina98/dino.html
www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mesozoic/triassic/ischigualasto.html
www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/dinosaur.htm
www.dinosaur-museum.org (Dinosaurs´ Museum)
www.fernbank.edu/museum/index.html (Fernbank Natural History Museum)