When talking about dinosaurs, many immediately imagine the famous Tyrannosaurus rex, with its large size and scary teeth. However, in terms of size, the tyrannosaurus is not all that impressive. Did you know that the rex, in addition to not being the biggest dinosaur, isn't even the biggest carnivore? Next we'll discover amazing data about the biggest dinosaur ever discovered!
→ The giant dinosaur
The largest dinosaur discovered so far was found in Argentina, more precisely in southern Patagonia. Scientists estimate he lived approximately 77 million years ago. the skeleton fossil it is very preserved, with about 70% of the bones, not counting the head.
The species was called Dreadnoughtus schrani. The gender Dreadnoughtus means "fear nothing” and makes a reference to the impressive size of the dinosaur. The specific epithet, schrani, is a tribute to the entrepreneur who financed the research, Adam Schran.
The species, which, according to the researchers, had not yet fully grown, was a herbivore in the group of Titanosaurs and was 26 meters long and weighing about 65 tons. The weight can be compared to 10 African elephants, which are currently the largest living terrestrial species on our planet. When compared to tyrannosaurus rex, the Dreadnoughtus schrani weighs the equivalent of seven of these famous dinosaurs. Impressive, isn't it?
Due to its frightening size, the Dreadnoughtus schrani, probably, did not get around much. In order not to have to walk from tree to tree, it is believed that this dinosaur used its long neck to gain access to a large amount of food at once. The change of location only happened when all the food available in that area ran out.
→ The biggest carnivore
You might be curious to know which is the biggest carnivorous dinosaur, right? As stated at the beginning of the text, this title is not from Tyrannosaurus rex either. The largest fossil carnivore belongs to spinosaurus, which has a total length of 15 meters, from nose to tail.
By Ma. Vanessa dos Santos
