Scientists have discovered a new species of raptor that lived 70 million years ago in Argentina.  The Austroraptor cabazai is 16.5- 21 feet long, said Fernando Novas, the head researcher of the team behind the discovery.  In incomplete skeleton was found in the rocks of Patagonia.  Researchers were able to virtually reconstruct the rest of the skeleton, using the dinosaur’s closest relatives as references.  The new raptor belongs to the South American group known as the unenlagiines, which are much larger than those found in the Northern Hemisphere.  The find has turned the evolutionary track of the raptor upside down, as no other raptor of comparable size has ever been found.

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Mendoza may be known as the quintessential Argentine wine haven, but Patagonia’s status as an up-and-coming wine region was confirmed earlier this month when a Chilean winery bought large tracks of land there.According to Wine Spectator, Chilean-based VC Family Estates (formerly Viñedos y Bodegas Córpora) bought the Bodega Universo Austral along with 700 acres of vineyards, which straddle both the Neuquén and Rio Negro provinces.They paid a total of 15 million dollars for the land and are the first Chilean winery to buy land in Patagonia.The CEO of the company said that their purchase reflected their desire to focus on cooler-climate areas to make varieties such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.Having already invested in Southern Chile, crossing over into Argentine Patagonia seemed like the logical next step.

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Moon Handbooks is releasing two new guides to Argentina, one specifically for Buenos Aires and one for the region of Patagonia.According to Southern Cone Travel, the books’ author, Wayne Bernhardson, will be traveling throughout the United States presenting his books and hosting slide-show lectures with question and answer sessions for anyone interested in planning their trip to Argentina.Those who attend the presentations will be able to participate in a raffle for one free ticket to Santiago or Buenos Aires from any LAN Airlines gateway in the US or Canada.The presentations begin in San Francisco on October 2nd and cover the US until they end on October 27th in Pasadena, California.

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Aladdin Beverages, a major beverage distributer in the United States, is anticipating the first shipment of Argentine Patagonia Blond Ale, to go on sale in the USA.According to a press release in Market Watch, Argentine ale is growing more popular in the United States and Aladdin Beverages is looking to capitalize on that market.Their chosen brand, Patagonia Blond Ale, is made by The Patagonia Brewery, which is the oldest in the country.The Patagonia Brewery brews with one hundred percent pure malted barley, hops, yeast and water; these brewing standards are, they claim, the standards of the founded, Bavarian Duke William IV.While it is usual to hear about Argentine wineries exporting to the US, Argentine beer is less well known, a fact that may be about to change.

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A Road Trip Across the Lakes, Volcanoes, and Hot Springs of Argentina

Argentina is a land of astounding beauty and open land. There are wild experiences to be had and amazing views to be seen in the second largest country in South America.

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Magellenic penguins, the kind that live in southern Argentina and on the Malvinas Islands, are declining in number due to climate change and over-fishing.According to the New York Times, this trend has been observed by scientists over the last 30 years.Breeding pairs are down 22 percent and the birds must swim 40 extra miles a day to find their sources of food.The scientists are blaming over-fishing as well as global warming for these problems and argue that the deteriorating condition of penguins is a sign of trouble for the whole marine ecosystem.These penguins are popular with tourists in Southern Argentina, as are the whales that swim up the coast past the Valdez Peninsula.Protecting them is important but difficult, and affirming their importance through tourism is one of the many ways Argentines and foreigners cope with the problem.

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A new movie by British director Marc Evans will soon be filming in Patagonia with star Matthew Rhys, from the hit TV show “Brothers and Sisters,” playing the lead.The film is about a Welsh couple in their thirties who come to Argentine to reevaluate their own relationship in the Welsh villages of Argentina.Argentina’s Welsh communities are truly remarkable enclaves in which Welsh is still spoken, though to a lesser degree now than 100 years ago.These communities are the backdrop for what Variety describes as a “Welsh- and Spanish-language road movie.”A unique concept only possible in Patagonia.

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Romina Picolotti, Environment and Sustainable Development Secretary, announced last Friday that Argentina has decided to ban fishing off one section of the shore of Patagonia.According to Mercopress, the protected area is south of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands and east of the Isla de los Estados, an area of around 600 nautical miles.Within this area, there are fragile cold water coral and incredible marine diversity.The decision is also an expression of Argentine sovereignty over its Atlantic waters, a sovereignty that is also in contention with the continued presence of the British on the Malvinas Islands.This initiative is part of the Marine Patagonia Project which seeks not only to protect biodiversity but also to prevent and contain contamination.

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