W B When you think of dinosaurs, you think of huge animals - but do you know what was the biggest of all? Be ready because it’ll come out of your screen.
The Biggest Sea Monster
Shastasaurus is the biggest marine predator ever known. It lived during the Late Triassic period and its fossils have been found in the United States, Canada and China. The type species Shastasaurus Sikanniensis was 69 feet tall – that is, it was as tall as a seven-floor building. Despite its size, this animal was believed to feed on cephalopods such as octopuses and squids that were absorbed rather than chewed. Paleontologists came to that conclusion because the animal had a short, toothless snout. Shastasaurus had to open its mouth so rapidly it made a hole that was filled with water right away. At the same time, its tongue moved down and back – making the hole bigger and increasing the force of absorption. Did you know that octopuses and squids move using jet propulsion? Well, researchers believe the powerful suction of Shastasaurus neutralized that strategy, so there was no way to escape from its snout. But guess what? Even though it was huge, Shastasaurus wasn’t a dinosaur because marine reptiles weren’t considered to be dinosaurs. Anyhow, stick around and you’ll find out the biggest dinosaur of all.
Terror In The Sky
Quetzalcoatlus was a great predator that lived in the Late Cretaceous of North America. It had a height from the ground to the shoulders of 9.8 feet with a wingspan of 36-39 feet – that is, the size of a bus – though, according to some studies, it had a wingspan of up to 69 feet, so that is two buses. Due to its size, paleontologists believe it was able to cross continents by flying at a speed of over 80 miles per hour, reaching heights of up to 15 thousand feet and distances of 8 thousand to 12 thousand miles without landing. Would you get an idea if I told you that New York and Sydney are 9900 miles apart? Can you imagine the amount of meat this terrifying animal consumed? Scientists haven’t come to an agreement yet on how it fed. Some of them say it was a scavenger, others say it fed by flying over the sea and brushing the surface with its beak to catch fish, and the rest say it fed on land by catching reptiles and mammals. So, this is the biggest dinosaur in the world? – No! Flying reptiles weren’t considered to be dinosaurs either. Fine, I know what you’re thinking – When will I see a dinosaur in your video about dinosaurs? – Just now, I promise. You’re about to meet the biggest dinosaur.
The Biggest Dinosaur Of All
Many think Patagotitan is the biggest dinosaur ever. It lived in the Cretaceous, between 101 and 95 million years ago. Its fossils were found in the province of Chubut, Argentina. The species Patagotitan Mayorum was 121 feet long – which is pretty much three buses in line and a bit more. Though other studies reduce the size to 102 feet and others increase it to 131 feet. About the weight, there was a specimen that could have weighed up to 80 tons – that is, 16 African elephants. This animal was likely to be around 65 feet tall when its neck was held erect – this is almost the size of Shastasaurio or what’s the same, a seven-floor building. This dinosaur was discovered in 2008 by a farm laborer during a horseback ride. He found an enormous femur protruding out the ground. Six years later, paleontologists started to dig up the fossils and found several bones. The longest femur they found was 7.8 feet. In total, more than 130 bones that made up six Patagotitan skeletons were recovered. However, it doesn’t mean that the six dinosaurs died simultaneously – they died in different situations involving floods. 57 teeth of Tyrannotitan Chubutensis were also found near the fossils, so it’s believed that this carnivorous animal was probably having a feast with corpses of Patagotitan. Near them, about 200 fossils of different dinosaurs and some plants were found, enabling the reconstruction of the habitat of Patagotitan where it’s believed that there was a lush forest with 49-feet-tall trees. While Patagotitan might be the biggest land animal ever for its dimensions, some scientists have second thoughts about it and have found a challenger.
If you’re interested in more prehistoric animals, like this post, Keep reading because we have a bunch of dinosaur articles for you. Don’t forget comment and share. See you!
