Scientists spent years retrieving fossils of the Cretaceous sauropod, which they've named Sidersaura, or "star lizard."

Researchers have identified a newfound sauropod species that was the largest of its kind and one of the last living members of its family.

Paleontologists first discovered fossils from the species, now named Sidersaura marae, in 2012 in the Huincul Formation in Argentina’s Neuquén Province. It took researchers multiple excavations over several years to retrieve the giant dinosaur parts, which came from four individuals, according to a study published Jan. 3 in the journal Historical Biology.