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The Municipal Museum was open on 18th. November, 1995 with the aim of providing a place to show the found and the will be found fossile material .This museum created by
Nº 203/95 bylaw and aims to preserve, investigate, show and spread the most varied manifestations of men and nature. The building of the Municipal Museum was open on 19th.July, 1997 and was built with money funds given by H.E.C.S.A., with a project of the Provincial Government and directed by the Town Counsil. Tlhe Municipal Museum has been called Ernesto Bachmann since 16th. March,1999. He was born in Switzerland on 1st. January,1894 and died in Plottier on 19th. March, 1970. He was a self-taught investigator that made important discoveries in the anthropology and paleontology fields in the area of El Chocón. He was also guide and tutor of many international and national investigators. |
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The red sandy land of El Chocón Area and the current coast of Exequiel Ramos Mexia Dam are rich in fossiles. Some layers are more than 100 million years old and so are the fossiles found here.
In those layers, we can find rests of fossile trees, toads ( anurous), turtles and mainly different kinds of dinosaurs preserved in many ways. |
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Up to now, there are three known types of dinosaurs who inhabited the surroundings of El Chocón. Two of them are sauropodous - herbivorous with huge bodies, small heads and long necks and tails. They are called " Andessaurus Delgadoi" and " Rebachisaurus Tesonei" and were found because of the report made by two inhabitants- Mr. Delgado and Mr. Tesone who gave their names to the dinosaurs to follow a tradition among scientists.
The third dinosaur is , no doubt, the most important up to now - " the Gigantosaurus Carolini" found on 25th. July, 1993 about 18 kilometers away to the south of El Chocón. This huge theropod ( with feet of a wild animal) is the biggest known carnivorous dinosaur in the world. More than the 80% of the skeleton has been rescued. According to studies carried out by paleontologists of the region, the estimative size of this biped alive was : 14 mts.long, 4.60 mts high until the hip and weighed 9,500 to 10,000 kg. |
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It is the first registration of its group for the southamerican continent. It is named after Mr. Ruben Carolini , amateur since 1988 and the one who discovered the fossile.
The paleontologists Leonardo Salgado and Jorge Calvo from the National University of Comahue and Rodolfo Coria from Cármen Funes Museum of Plaza Huincul carried out the identification and study of this sample of patagonic fauna. |
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In the area of El Chocón and Plaza Huincul, many footprints of a great variety of dinosaurs were found in very good conditions making these places worldwide priviliged from the paleontological point of view.
The dinosaurs which footprints were preserved on the rocks surrounding Exequiel ramos Mexia dam, lived around 105 million years ago. The Gigantosaurus Carolini weighing ten tons is one of the biggest carnivorous found up to now. This is shown by the 15 meters lengh, by the 1.65 meters dorsal vertebrae and by the 22 centimeters long teeth. In those days, the area of El Chocón -Picún Leufú was a relatively plain zone in which there were shalow but big lagoons linked by rivers of slow current. |
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The warm and humid climate with dry seasons and maybe subtropical gave the landscape a very different view from the current desert.
In the surroundings, there was a varied and numerous fauna of dinosaurs, crocodiles, turtles and toads that may have been permanent inhabitants of this area. |
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1st Photo ~ Giganotosaurus Carolinii.
2nd Photo ~ Copy of a Vertebra of Dinosaur 3rd Photo ~ Fossiles 4th Photo ~ Inside Ernesto Bachmannmunicipal Museum. |
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See also: Hotels in Villa El Chocón and other accommodation venues |
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