Which was the world’s largest dinosaur? Triceratops? T-Rex? The mighty brontosaurus? Actually, none of these famous dinos are worthy
of this title. Triceratops weighed up to 12 tons. T-Rex, 8. Brontosaurus, 17. The largest dinosaurs were much heavier, weighing between 60 and 100 tons. To put that in perspective, 100 tons is equal to the weight of about 15 African elephants. However, we can only guess which dinosaur was the true heavyweight champ. Determining the mass of large animals who lived millions of years ago presents a number of challenges. For one, the larger an animal gets, the less likely it will be preserved. In order for dinosaur bones to become fossilized they must be covered quickly with mud or sand. This protects the bones from the elements, as well scavengers, who might run off with them. The larger the dinosaur, the more of it there is to cover, making complete preservation a rare event. Without a complete skeleton, scientists can only make an educated guess about the rest of the animal. They often fill in gaps based
on smaller related species. This can throw off things off because animals resemble each other in some ways, but not others. And , even with a complete skeleton, we don’t
know exactly how the largest dinosaurs were built. Bone only tells part of the story. A
particular species could have been a musclebound hulk, or a skinny beanpole. The amount of
muscle, fat and connective tissue is going to profoundly influence weight. With these uncertainties, you can see why
it’s hard to say who was the biggest of the big. Experts can’t even agree. Based on the fossils we’ve found so far, five dinosaurs are in the running for the top spot. The largest was probably Argentinosaurus who tipped the scales at 80 to 100 tons. Fossils are scarce, but a partial thighbone measures
4 feet around at its smallest point and it’s fibula, or calf bone, stood 5 feet tall. In second place, Puertasaurus, also in the
range of 80 to 100 tons. Fossils are even spottier, but its back bones rival those of Argentinosaurus and are even a bit wider. In third, Alamosaurus from the American Southwest,
in same weight range. Vertebra have been found matching the size of our two top contenders,
in addition to a monster shin bone 5 1/2 feet tall. In fourth, Antarctosaurus giganteus at the
70-80 tons. We know this species mostly from two giant thigh bones that stood seven and
half feet tall. And in fifth, Apatosaurus at 60-80 tons. Apatosaurs
were thought to weigh about half this much, but new fossils from the Oklahoma have doubled
its potential size. You may have noticed that all of these dinosaurs
looked similar. They were all sauropods, a group of long-necked, plant-eating dinos that grew to colossal proportions. Did sauropods get bigger than this? Scientists in South America have recently
unearthed a dinosaur that rivals Argentinosaurus. It’s thighbone is about 10 percent larger
indicating it was bigger and heavier. Whether it was the largest to ever walk the earth
remains an open question.
