Top 10 smallest dinosaurs. The largest dinosaurs known to science
And here's what: » The largest and smallest dinosaurs. And then you can get confused in this topic. It is desirable to consider sauropods and theropods (carnosaurs) separately. Well, if someone else interesting gets caught) "
Let's understand this issue of the long, long history of our mother Earth.
And the task is not an easy one! First, how to evaluate the largest dinosaur? By height? By weight? By lenght? And how many reservations that this or that species is not particularly proven. And by the way, many open dinosaurs have almost the same estimated size. Well, let me offer several versions on this topic, and then you decide for yourself who can be considered the largest or smallest.
"Terrible lizard" - this is how the word "Dinosaur" is translated from ancient Greek. These terrestrial vertebrates inhabited the Earth during the Mesozoic era for over 160 million years. The first dinosaurs appeared in the late Triassic period (251 million years ago - 199 million years ago), about 230 million years ago, and their extinction began at the end of the Cretaceous period (145 million years ago - 65 million years ago), about 65 million years ago.
Dinosaur remains found back in 1877 in Colorado are still considered to be the bones of the largest dinosaur, Amphicelia. Amphicelia(lat. Amphicoelias from the Greek amphi"both sides" and coelos"empty, concave") - genus herbivorous dinosaurs from the sauropod group.
Paleontologist Edward Cope, who back in 1878 published an article on amphicelia, drew his conclusions from a single fragment of a vertebra (destroyed shortly after cleaning and not preserved to this day - only a drawing has survived), so the size and even the very existence of this dinosaur is in doubt. If Amphicelias is nevertheless described correctly, then its length, according to calculations, was from 40 to 62 meters, and weight - up to 155 tons . Then this seems to be not only the largest dinosaur of all time of their existence, but also the largest known animal. Amphicelias is almost twice as long as a blue whale and 10 meters longer than Seismosaurus, which is in second place. Then the maximum size mark of the animals will be at the level of Amphicelias - 62 m in length. However, assumptions have been made about the existence of more massive dinosaurs (for example, Bruhatkayosaurus, which lived in the Cretaceous period.
Bruhathkayosaurus (lat. Bruhathkayosaurus) is one of the largest sauropods. According to different versions weighed 180 or 220 tons (according to other hypotheses - 240 tons) . Apparently, bruhatkayosaurus is the heaviest animal ever lived (in second place is a 200-ton blue whale, on the third - 155-ton amphicelias). The genus includes the only species found in southern India (Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu). Age - about 70 million years ( Cretaceous). There is no single estimate of the length of this dinosaur; different scientists determine its length from 28-34 meters to 40-44 meters.
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Don't be in a hurry to believe the speculation just yet. Due to the meager amount of bones, this has not yet been proven. Only guesses of scientists and a wide range of estimates. We will wait for new excavations - after all, we rely only on facts. And if you rely only on the facts, then this is what they say.
Although paleontologists claim they have found a larger saurus, the size of Argentinosaurus is backed up by compelling evidence. Just one Argentinosaurus vertebra is over four feet thick! It had a length of the hind limbs of about 4.5 m, and a length from shoulder to hip. 7 m. If we add to the results obtained the length of the neck and tail, corresponding to the proportions of previously known titanosaurs, then the total length of the Argentinosaurus will be 30 m. However, this does not make it the longest dinosaur. The longest seismosaurus is considered, the length of which from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail is estimated at 40 m, and the mass is from 40 to 80 tons, but, according to all calculations, the Argentinosaurus is the heaviest. Its weight could reach 100 tons!
In addition, the Argentinosaurus is undoubtedly. the largest pangolin, about which good paleontological material has been collected. This giant was dug up in 1980 by two paleontologists, Rodolfo Coria and José Bonaparte from the Museum of Natural History in Buenos Aires. According to these researchers, the Argentinosaurus belongs to the titanosaurs (a suborder of sauropods of the order of lizard dinosaurs), which were widespread in the south of the American continent in the Cretaceous period.
Argentinosaurus bone
Comparing the found bones with the already known remains of sauropods, scientists calculated that the unearthed monster had a hind limb length of about 4.5 m, and a length from shoulder to hip. 7 m. If we add to the results obtained the length of the neck and tail, corresponding to the proportions of previously known titanosaurs, then the total length of the Argentinosaurus will be 30 m. This is not the longest dinosaur (the longest is the seismosaurus, whose length from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail is estimated at 40 m , and weight - from 40 to 80 tons), but, according to all calculations, the heaviest. Its weight could reach 100 tons.
Sauroposeidon ( Sauroposeidon ) is named after Poseidon, the Greek god of the ocean. In size, it competed with Argentinosaurus, and possibly could surpass it, but its weight was much less, according to paleontologists, it weighed no more than 65 tons, while Argentinosaurus could weigh up to one hundred tons. But, Sauroposeidon could be the tallest dinosaur that ever roamed the earth, and what is there the tallest creature on the planet in general! Its height could reach almost 18-20 meters
His physique indicated that he had to consume about a ton of vegetation daily, an almost endless work. To accomplish this "feat", the dinosaur had 52 chisel-like teeth that cut down plants in one fell swoop. He didn't even bother to chew his food, swallowing delicious vegetation, which immediately fell into a 1-ton stomach, the size of a swimming pool. Then his gastric juice, which had incredible strength and could dissolve even iron, did all the rest of the work. The dinosaur also ingested rocks that helped it digest fiber.
It's good that dinosaur worked so well digestive system, because with a lifespan of 100 years (one of the longest in the kingdom of dinosaurs) and in the absence of such a metabolism, he would have grown old very quickly.
We all discussed the so-called sauropods (sauropods), but which of the predators is the largest dinosaur?
You probably thought that Tyrannosaurus rex would be in this category. However, it is now believed that Spinosaurus was the largest predatory dinosaur. Its mouth was similar to the mouth of a crocodile, and the outgrowth on its back resembled a huge sail. The sail made this theropod look even more majestic. Leathery "sail" reached a height of 2 meters. The predator itself was over 17 meters long and weighed 4 tons. He moved on his hind limbs like other theropods. It could be over 20 feet tall. Read more about dinosaur
Spinosaurus had a leathery "sail" stretched over the spinous processes of the vertebrae, reaching a height of 2 meters. The predator itself was over 17 meters long and weighed 4 tons. He moved on his hind limbs like other theropods.
Spinosaurus hunted alone, lying in wait for the prey. In doing so, he relied on his gigantic size and the strength of the jaws, elongated, like a pliosaurus, and armed with sharp conical teeth. This predator fed mainly on large fish, but it could well attack even a sauropod dinosaur of its size. Sinking its teeth into the neck of the sauropod, the spinosaurus bit the throat, which led to the rapid death of the victim. He could also attack crocodiles, pterosaurs and freshwater sharks.
In the middle of the day, Spinosaurus could turn its back to the sun. In this position, the "sail" was turned edge to direct sunlight and did not absorb heat, so Spinosaurus, which, like all reptiles, was cold-blooded, avoided the risk of overheating. If he suddenly became too hot, then he could dive into the nearest lake or river and dip his "sail" in the water to cool it. In the early morning, even in the warm climate of the Cretaceous period, the temperature was probably not as high as in the afternoon. It is possible that at dawn the Spinosaurus was even chilly. Then he could stand so that the sun's rays fell on the "sail" plane, as shown in the illustration. There is another theory, according to which it is believed that the "sail" in mating season could serve as a means of attracting females.
Apparently, Spinosaurus was one of the most ferocious predators of the late Cretaceous period. The length of its body from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail was about 15m - more than the length of a modern bus. In the illustration you see a row of spines on the spine, the longest of which reached 1.8 m. These spines served as the basis for the "sail" of Spinosaurus. The longest spikes were located in the center; each spike in the middle was thinner than at the top end. The massive body of the spinosaurus was supported by two powerful columnar legs, and the feet ended in three sharp claws. In addition, each foot had an additional weak toe. The huge claws on the feet of the Spinosaurus could be useful to him in order to keep the victim trying to escape. The upper limbs of Spinosaurus were short, but also very strong. The skull structure of Spinosaurus was similar to that of other carnivorous dinosaurs; its characteristic feature was straight teeth, sharp as meat knives, which could easily pierce even the thickest skin. The tail of the spinosaurus was long, wide and very strong. Scientists suggest that in some cases, Spinosaurus could knock down prey by delivering a series of powerful blows with its tail.
Here are some other predators that could be mentioned that could compete with the largest dinosaur. And this is again not a Tyrannosaurus rex :-)
Tarbosaurus (Tarbosaurus), a genus of extinct giant predatory dinosaurs(superfamily carnosaurs). Large land predators - the body length is usually over 10 m, the height in a bipedal position is about 3.5 m. The skull is huge (more than 1 m), massive, powerful dagger-shaped teeth, designed to attack very large animals (mainly herbivorous dinosaurs). The forelimbs of T. are reduced and had only 2 full fingers each, the hind limbs are highly developed, forming, together with a powerful tail, a support tripod for the body. T. skeletons have been found in the Upper Cretaceous deposits of the South Gobi (MPR).
Lit .: Maleev E. A., Giant carnosaurs of the family Tyrannosauridae, in the book: Fauna and biostratigraphy of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic of Mongolia, M., 1974, p. 132-91
The Asian Tarbosaurus (Tarbosaurus bataar) was a close relative of the North American carnivorous dinosaurs of the late Cretaceous. Tarbosaurus is a lizard-robber. From the tip of the muzzle to the tip of the tail - about ten meters. The largest of them has more than 14 m in length and 6 m in height. Head size - more than a meter in length. The teeth were sharp, dagger-shaped. All this allowed the Tarbosaurus to cope even with those opponents whose body was protected by bone armor.
With his height and appearance, he strongly looked like tyrannosaurs. It also walked on strong hind limbs, using its tail for balance. The forelimbs were greatly reduced, two-fingered, and apparently served only for holding food.
Among the first dinosaur finds in England was a fragment of the lower jaw with several teeth. Apparently, it belonged to a huge predatory lizard, which was later christened and
megalosaurus (giant lizard). Since no other parts of the body could be found, it was impossible to form an accurate idea of the shape of the body and the size of the animal. It was believed that the lizard moved on four legs. Since then, many other fossil remains have been unearthed, but a complete skeleton has never been discovered. Only after making a comparison with other predatory dinosaurs (carnosaurs), the researchers came to the conclusion that the megalosaurus also ran on its hind legs, its length reached 9 meters and it weighed a ton. With greater accuracy, it was possible to reconstruct the Allosaurus (another lizard). Over 60 of his skeletons have been found in America. different sizes. The largest allosaurs reached a length of 11-12 meters, and weighed from 1 to 2 tons. Their prey, of course, were gigantic herbivorous dinosaurs, which is confirmed by the found piece of the Apatosaurus tail with deep bite marks and knocked out Allosaurus teeth.
Even larger, in all likelihood, were two species that lived 80 million years later in the Cretaceous period, namely: a tyrannosaurus (tyrant lizard) from North America and a tarbosaurus (terrifying lizard) from Mongolia. Although the skeletons are not completely preserved (most often the tail is missing), it is assumed that their length reached 14-15 meters, the height was 6 meters, and the body weight reached 5-6 tons. The heads were also impressive: the skull of the tarbosaurus was 1.45 meters long, and the largest skull of a tyrannosaurus was 1.37 meters. The dagger-shaped teeth, protruding 15 cm, were so powerful that they could hold an actively resisting animal. But it is still unknown whether these giants could really pursue prey or were too massive for this. Perhaps they fed on carrion or the remains of the prey of smaller predators, which they did not have to drive away. The dinosaur's forelimbs were remarkably short and weak, with only two fingers each. And a huge finger with a claw 80 cm long was found in a tercinosaurus (crescent lizard). But whether this finger was the only one and what sizes the whole animal reached is unknown. The 12-meter spinosaurus (spiny lizard) also had an impressive appearance. Along his back, his skin was stretched in the form of a sail 1.8 meters high. Perhaps this served him to scare away rivals and competitors, or perhaps it served as a heat exchanger between the body and the environment.
Who was the giant "terrible hand"? Until now, we are not able to imagine what a giant predatory dinosaur looked like, from which, during excavations in Mongolia, only the bones of the fore and hind limbs have been found so far, unfortunately. But the length of the forelimbs alone was two and a half meters, that is, approximately equal to the length of the entire Deinonychus, or four times the length of its forelimbs. Each hand had three huge claws, with which it was possible to stab and tear even very big booty. Amazed by this find, Polish researchers gave this dinosaur the name Deinocheirus, which means "terrible hand."
If we take for comparison the dimensions of an ostrich dinosaur, which has a similar structure of the forelimbs, but is four times smaller in length, then we can assume that Deinocheirus was one and a half times the size of a tyrannosaurus rex! Dinosaur lovers and researchers around the world are looking forward to new bone finds and the solution to the mystery of the giant "terrible hand".
Tarbosaurus, whose remains were found in the southern part of the Gobi Desert, are large predatory dinosaurs. The total length of their body reached 10, and the height - 3.5 meters. They hunted large herbivorous dinosaurs. Tarbosaurs were distinguished by the impressive size of the skull - in adults it exceeded 1 meter.
According to experts, the dinosaur whose skull the detainee wanted to sell lived on our planet 50-60 million years ago.
Every year, Mongolian paleontologists and international expeditions find more and more remains of tarbosaurs in the South Gobi.
Since the early 1990s, such unique exhibits have been actively falling into private hands. According to Mongolian law enforcement agencies, a network of smugglers engaged in such a trade operates illegally. In recent years, customs officials and police have stopped several attempts to export fossilized remains of eggs and parts of dinosaur skeletons abroad.
So, which of the record holders do we have in the rank of marine Dinosaurs?
The crown of weight and size in the family of pliosaurs belongs precisely to Lioplervodon. It had four powerful flippers (up to 3 m long) and a short, laterally compressed tail. The teeth are huge, up to 30 cm long (perhaps up to 47 cm!), round in cross section. It reached a length of 15 to 18 meters. The length of these reptiles reached 15 meters. Liopleurodons fed on large fish, ammonites, and also attacked other marine reptiles. They were the dominant predators of the Late Jurassic seas. Read more about dinosaur
Described by G. Savage in 1873 based on a single tooth from the Late Jurassic layers of the Boulogne-sur-Mer region (Northern France). The skeleton was discovered at the end of the 19th century in Peterborough, England. At one time, the genus Liopleurodon was combined with the genus Pliosaurus (Pliosaurus). Liopleurodon is distinguished by a shorter mandibular symphysis and fewer teeth than Pliosaurus. Both genera form the family Pliosauridae.
Liopleurodon ferox is the type species. The total length reached 25 meters. The length of the skull is 4 meters. Lived in waterways northern europe(England, France) and South America (Mexico). Liopleurodon pachydeirus (Callovian of Europe), distinguished by the shape of the cervical vertebrae. Liopleurodon rossicus (aka Pliosaurus rossicus). Described on the basis of an almost complete skull from the Late Jurassic (Titonic era) of the Volga region. The length of the skull is about 1 - 1.2 m. A fragment of the rostrum of a giant pliosaurus from the same deposits may belong to the same species. In this case, the Russian Liopleurodon was not inferior to European species. The remains are on display at the Paleontological Museum in Moscow. Liopleurodon macromerus (aka Pliosaurus macromerus, Stretosaurus macromerus). Kimmeridge - Titonius of Europe and South America. A very large species, the length of the skull reached 3 meters, the total length should be from 15 to 20 meters.
Liopleurodon was a typical pliosaurus - with a large narrow head (at least 1/4 - 1/5 of the total length), four powerful flippers (up to 3 m long) and a short, laterally compressed tail. The teeth are huge, up to 30 cm long (perhaps up to 47 cm!), round in cross section. At the tips of the jaws, the teeth form a kind of "rose". The external nostrils did not serve for breathing - when swimming, water entered the internal nostrils (located in front of the external ones) and exited through the external nostrils. The flow of water passed through Jacobson's organ and thus the Liopleurodon "sniffed" the water. This creature breathed through its mouth when it surfaced. Liopleurodons could dive deep and for a long time. They swam with the help of huge flippers, which flapped their wings like birds. Liopleurodons had good protection - under the skin they had strong bone plates. Like all pliosaurs, liopleurodons were viviparous.
In 2003, remains of the species Liopleurodon ferox were discovered in Late Jurassic marine sediments in Mexico. It reached a length of 15 to 18 meters. It was a young one. On its bones were found marks from the teeth of another Liopleurodon. Based on these injuries, the attacker could have been over 20 meters long, as his teeth were 7 cm in diameter and over 40 cm long. In 2007, the remains of very large pliosaurs of an unknown species were discovered in Jurassic deposits polar archipelago of Svalbard. The length of these reptiles reached 15 meters. Liopleurodons fed on large fish, ammonites, and also attacked other marine reptiles. They were the dominant predators of the Late Jurassic seas.
Well, with the largest ones, probably everything, choose which one you like best for the pedestal :-) And now about the smallest ones ...
In 2008, scientists discovered the skull of one of the smallest dinosaurs that lived on Earth. This find may help in the search for an answer to the question of why some of the dinosaurs once became herbivores.
The skull, less than 2 inches (about 5 centimeters) long, belonged to a baby Heterodontosaurus that lived about 190 million years ago and was 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) high and 18 inches (nearly 46 centimeters) from the head. to the tip of the tail.
But in more it was not the size of the animal that intrigued scientists, but its teeth. The opinions of experts about whether the heterodontosaurus ate meat or plants were divided. The mini dinosaur, which, according to The Telegraph, is comparable to the weight of a mobile phone, has both front fangs and typical herbivore teeth for grinding plant food. There was an assumption that adult males had fangs, which used them to fight competitors for territory, but the presence of them in a cub disproved this theory. Most likely, such fangs were required for protection from predators.
Now the scientists who discovered the animal have a theory that Heterodontosaurus was in the process of evolutionary transition from carnivore to herbivore. It was probably an omnivore, feeding mainly on plants, but diversifying its diet with insects, small mammals, or reptiles.
Laura Porro, Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (USA), suggested that all dinosaurs were originally carnivorous: “Since Heterodontosaurus is one of the earliest dinosaurs to adapt to plants, it may represent a phase of transition from carnivorous ancestors to fully herbivorous descendants. Its skull indicates that all dinosaurs of this species survived such a transition."
Fossils of Heterodontosaurus are incredibly rare, with only two adult finds from South Africa known so far.
Laura Porro found part of a fossilized baby skull with two adult fossils during excavations in Cape Town in the 60s. Dr. Richard Butler, a specialist at the Natural History Museum in London, described the find as extremely important, as it provides an opportunity to learn how this animal changed during the growth process. Interestingly, most reptiles change their teeth throughout their lives, while Heterodontosaurus did this only during maturation, like mammals.
Another small one:
But in 2011, the discovery of a new fossil could indicate the existence of the smallest species in the world among all known dinosaurs. The feathered bird-like creature that lived more than 100 million years ago measured no more than 15.7 inches (40 centimeters) in length.
The fossil, represented as a small neck bone found in southern Britain, was only a quarter of an inch (7.1 millimeters) long. It belonged to an adult dinosaur that lived during the Cretaceous period 145-100 million years ago, University of Portsmouth paleozoologist Darren Naish reported in the current issue of Cretaceous Research.
This discovery should place in the ranks of the world's smallest dinosaurs another bird-like dinosaur, so far called Anchiornis, who lived in an area now called China, 160-155 million years ago. The recently found bone belongs to the maniraptoran, a group of theropod dinosaurs thought to be the ancient ancestors of modern birds.
With a fossil with only one vertebra available, it is difficult to guess exactly what it ate little dinosaur or even how big he really was.
The vertebra lacks a neurocentral suture, a rough, open line of bone that does not close until the dinosaur is an adult, Naish and his University of Portsmouth colleague Steven Sweetmen reported. This means that the dinosaur died as an adult animal.
But calculating the estimated length of a dinosaur from a single bone was tricky enough. The researchers used two methods to determine how big the maniraptoran was. The first method involved building a digital model of the dinosaur's neck, and then the scientists superimposed that neck on the silhouette of a typical maniraptoran.
The method is more art than science, as Naish wrote on his blog, Tetrapod Zoology, predicting that it must have infuriated some researchers. A little bit more mathematical method, used to calculate the neck and torso ratios of other related dinosaurs, was applied to determine the new maniraptoran length. Both methods led to the following figures - about 13-15.7 inches (33-50 centimeters), as noted by Naish.
The new dinosaur does not yet have official name and dubbed the Ashdown maniraptorian after the area where it was discovered. If Ashdown dino turns out to be the smallest recorded dinosaur, he will break the record for the smallest already. famous dinosaur North American measures about 6 inches (15 cm). This dinosaur, Hesperonychus elizabethae, was a predatory velociraptor with a hideous twisted toe claw. He was about a foot and a half (50 cm) tall and weighed about 4 pounds (2 kilograms).
In the 1970s in the deposits of the Upper Triassic in Newfoundland (Canada), a small footprint was found left by someone, no larger than a thrush in size. The structure of the fingers is typical for carnivorous dinosaurs of that time. This print belongs to the smallest dinosaur ever found on Earth. However, it is still not known what age the individual that left the trace could be - an adult or a calf.
sources
http://dinopedia.ru/
http://dinosaurs.afly.ru/
http://dinohistory.ru/
http://www.zooeco.com/
And let's remember one of the versions, and also remember who Well, a question that indirectly relates to our today's topic - The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -Surely you have already asked yourself this question? Was there an animal larger than the modern blue whale? In this article we will answer, and at the same time show what the podium of the largest creatures looks like. We carefully monitor and analyze all species known to science. We emphasize that we focus only on the remains of dinosaurs, which allow us to make at least an approximate reconstruction of the skeleton.
So what is the largest dinosaur in the world? Twenty leaders at the moment:
The Latin name of the species is given in parentheses. To read the description of champions whose profiles are already in the database, click on the name.
More recently, in 2017, the Argentine titanosaurus patagotitan was described, surpassing even the supersaurus, our previous record holder.
Approximate comparison of the longest dinosaur, a Boeing aircraft, a human and an African elephant (illustration from USA Today).
Before him, for a really long time (after the next reassessments of Diplodocus and Futalognosaurus), the supersaurus was in the lead with 34 meters. For comparison, the length of the largest modern animal, the blue whale, according to unofficial estimates, is only up to 33.6 m (the maximum official estimate is 29.9 m). But it is interesting to compare animals visually, so in the next image we put them side by side: on top is the skeleton of a supersaurus from the Makuhari Masse Exhibition Center (Chiba, Japan), and below is the skeleton of a blue whale from the Museum of Natural History of Santa Barbara (California, USA). Click to enlarge.
At the same time, we emphasize that, unlike dinosaurs, a whale is a marine animal.
Another comparison, this time graphic: a blue whale against the background of a diplodocus.
Next comes the Argentinosaurus, "noticeably contrasting" not only next to a man, but also against the background of by no means small giganotosaurs.
This exemplary scene is embodied by the Indian artist Sameer Prehistorica.
The painting was created by the famous American artist William Stout in 1990.
Probably very interesting, what did the largest dinosaurs eat? All of them are classic sauropods - herbivorous lizards moving on four legs. Angiosperms, gymnosperms, ferns and other plants were the main diet. Thanks to their phenomenal size and long neck, they were able to reach the top branches of trees.
Potential Applicants
The subsection will mention samples that have not yet received scientific description. It is quite possible that one of them will be called the largest dinosaur in the future.Barosaurus
In the second half of 2016, paleontologists Michael Taylor and Matthew Wedel presented a report on the potential size of the Late Jurassic sauropod. Barosaurus. In their opinion, the giant cervical vertebra BYU 9024, previously attributed to the supersaurus, and before it to the ultrasaurus (Ultrasaurus), actually belongs to the barosaurus. The length of the neck of AMNH 6341, a well-studied specimen of the latter, is 8.5 m. According to the authors, based on these data, the neck length of BYU 9024 could reach a record length for sauropods of 17 meters. And consequently, the total length of the reptile far exceeds all known barosaurs.The fossil is truly fantastic, but is it really the largest dinosaur on the planet? It is too early to draw final conclusions. Firstly, it is difficult to calculate the body length from one cervical vertebra. Secondly, it could not have belonged to a barosaur, but to some other giant. It has already changed ownership twice. There is no guarantee that this will not happen again.
The longest animal vertebra in the entire history of the Earth. In the photo, Mike Taylor demonstrates a sample of BYU 9024 and its plastic model.
Mamenchisaurus (species Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum)
In 2010, the famous American paleontologist Gregory Paul mentions in his book a sauropod from China, Mamenchisaurus, which, according to his calculations, could reach 35 meters in length. The lizard belongs to the species . The reconstruction of the lizard has already been shown at the Makuhari Masse Exhibition Center (Chiba, Japan). We present her photo below.
Amphicelia (Amphicoelias fragillimus species)
In view of the constant mention of this sauropod in the comments to the article, let's dot the "i". View Amphicoelias fragillimus, a member of the diplodocid family, which is constantly attributed to supergiant sizes, is actually based on a fragment of a single vertebra, discovered in 1877 and described by Edward Cope in 1878. There have been no analogues since that moment.Not only is it impossible to estimate the length even approximately from a single vertebra, but there is also a serious incident here: the fragment has not been preserved at all, only its sketch is known (moreover, only one side of the object is depicted, which is generally unacceptable in the description). The circumstances of the disappearance are very mysterious and do not inspire any confidence.
It follows that the species is doubtful, and any estimates are unfounded. At least until new discoveries.
Maraapunisaurus - allocation to a separate genus
In 2018, Amphicoelias fragillimus is formalized by the famous paleontologist Kenneth Carpenter as an independent genus - Maraapunisaurus (Maraapunisaurus). According to the author, the mysterious vertebra did not belong to a diplodocid, but to a rebbachisaurid, and the total length of the dinosaur did not exceed 32 meters. But, as said before, without new material, Carpenter's conclusions are without foundation.Bruhatkyosaurus
Another kind, namely Bruhathkayosaurus matleyi, is dubious for similar reasons. There is also a mysterious disappearance of the remains. At the same time, the only description, supplemented by illegible photographs, is superficial.In our opinion, you should not dwell on dubious species. After all, new excavations are ahead, short ones will bring new records. We periodically update the rankings and increase the number of places, so check back.
Article author: ArgusEye(Last update: 02/25/2019)Literature
Recommended scientific papers (- journals with limited access):- Calvo, J. O.; Juarez Valieri, R.D.; Porfiri, J.D. (2008). Re-sizing giants: estimation of body length of Futalognkosaurus dukei and implications for giant titanosaurian sauropods . 3° Congreso Latinoamericano de Paleontologia de Vertebrados. Neuquen, Argentina.
- José L. Carballido; Diego Paul; Alejandro Otero; Ignacio A. Cerda; Leonardo Salgado; Alberto C. Garrido; Jahandar Ramezani; Nestor R. Cúneo; Javier M. Krause (2017).
I think many have asked themselves this question since childhood: who is the largest dinosaur, how long is it, and how much does it weigh? Actually, this is a very ambiguous question.
Patagotitan mayorum is now officially considered the largest dinosaur. Its weight is estimated to be up to 77 tons. And it's not quite grown up yet!
However, there are scattered remains, possibly belonging to larger animals. Bruhatkayosaurus from India, according to the most immodest estimates, could reach 240 tons; Amphicelia from North America - could be 62 meters long and 122 tons in weight. Scientists are skeptical about these estimates, since, for example, only one vertebra is known from Amphicelia.
It is very difficult to calculate the exact length and weight of an animal without knowing its proportions. But there is another but: we know only a few individuals from many dinosaurs. Often there are no adults among them. What is the probability that a person randomly selected from the crowd will be the largest? Therefore, dinosaurs were most likely larger than commonly believed!
Were they the largest animals at all?
In truth, only the blue whale can rival the largest dinosaurs. If we take the largest estimate of the weight of dinosaurs - 240 tons, then the blue whale, as they say, is in flight. But I repeat, this assessment is highly controversial. Surely dinosaurs reached about 80 tons. Well, taking into account the fact that the specimens found are definitely not the largest, I think that it is possible to cautiously suggest a weight of up to 100 - 120 tons. Even if it’s not a “blue whale”, it’s still a lot. That's just an awful lot for a land creature! Never before or after the dinosaurs were there such huge land animals!
Against the background of the closest competitors - mammals, the size of dinosaurs is simply crazy huge. According to recent estimates, the largest land mammals were proboscideans. Some of these huge "elephants" of antiquity are estimated at a maximum of about 30 tons. These are not the largest individuals found, but the estimated maximum, taking into account the fact that the largest were not found. That is, dinosaurs are 3-4 times heavier than these elephants!
But it is very difficult to reach such dimensions. Scientists are already wondering: how could dinosaurs maintain their weight? They didn't have any special adaptations for that. All that is, does not go beyond the same elephants. Perhaps, writes Gregory Paul, dinosaur bones were much stronger. But this also means that with equal weight, a dinosaur will be stronger than a mammal!
Now imagine how strong they are given their size ... In various films, especially on Ren TV, it is often said that dinosaurs supported their monstrous weight due to low gravity at that time. But in fact, such hypotheses have nothing to do with real science. Although yes, the conditions then were somewhat different from the current ones: there was much less oxygen in the atmosphere, and much more carbon dioxide. Well, the climate as a whole was warmer, and much less contrasting.
Another problem of such giants is food. To date, science does not have a convincing answer to a simple question: how could the populations of all these giants feed themselves? They needed just an unreal amount of food! Especially considering that, judging by the structure of the bones, dinosaurs were warm-blooded, and not cold-blooded, as previously thought. Special calculations showed that the areas of the continents are insufficient to feed the populations of giants. So it remains one of their secrets.
Well, now I suggest you ask yourself: what dinosaur would you consider the largest? The tallest, the longest, or the heaviest? But these, most likely, will be different types, and no one will take all the medals alone!
The largest dinosaurs belong to the Sauropod group. Of the Sauropods, the longest are the diplodocids (up to 62 m in length), the tallest are the brachiosaurids (up to 18 m in height), and the heaviest are the titanosaurids (up to 240 tons in weight). What would impress you more - a length of 62 meters, or a height of 18 meters? Or maybe a weight of 240 tons? Hard to say.
It's all subjective and depends on the situation...
In general, a person likes to compare everything according to objective criteria. But if we fast forward to childhood, then surely the child’s question can be more accurately rephrased as: “which dinosaur would make the biggest impression on me?”.
Recently, a film was released with David Attenborough, in which something like this is raised. As a result, the authors come to the conclusion that "the coolest" is Patagotitan. But... When shown in comparison to Attenborough, he doesn't impress. Why? A small head, followed by a long thin neck, and then a long body and tail. All this has no effect.
Try an experiment. Everyone has seen the Jurassic Park movie. So ask the children: who is the biggest dinosaur in the frame? Most would probably call it a T-Rex. Although objectively it was a brachiosaurus. And all why? The T-rex makes more of an impression. It makes more impression and than Patagotitan from documentary film. Because a T-Rex is not a small head on a long neck. This is a huge, terrible "muzzle" on a short, powerful neck, armed with large protruding teeth. And that's all, not to mention the fact that he is a predator. Who will impress you more - a 300 kg cow or a 300 kg tiger? The answer is obvious.
Of course, carnivorous dinosaurs impress people more. And in this regard, it is logical to ask the question: which of them is the largest?
For a long time, the Ti-rex was considered the largest predatory dinosaur. But in recent times he had competitors. Giganotosaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, and finally Spinosaurus have been found. All of them together are still trying to shake the throne under the T-rex. Yes, it's all useless.
The most notable attempt to shake the throne under the T-rex for the mass audience appeared in the movie "Jurassic Park - 3". The Spinosaurus in this movie kills the T-Rex. True, not only does the battle itself look very unrealistic, but also the film was initially coldly received by the audience. And now I want to talk not about the fact that everyone understands how the thin neck of the Spinosaurus would simply be cut off by these powerful jaws, and not even about the fact that there are a lot of "tyrannophanes". But rather about why there are so many of them.
If we compare the T-Rex with absolutely any of its "competitors", no matter whether it is a Spinosaurus, a Giganotosaurus, or a Carcharodontosaurus, we will find the following striking feature: compared to the T-Rex, everything is "drills". And that's putting it mildly. The Ti-rex has a solid volume of the head, neck, and body. He looks like a fighter. While the rest have a frontal view ...
Hmmm… Not really. Thin "muzzle", thin neck. They are all like flounder flattened from the sides. And another important point: The T-Rex looks straight into your eyes. His eyes are positioned to give him a stereoscopic effect. The rest don't! Well, the name itself is Tyrannosaurus rex. Tyrant, lizard, king. This is impossible to forget! What a Spinosaurus! It's no surprise that in the new Jurassic World, the T-Rex is reinstated as the winning predator! And, it is unlikely that he will be shown as a loser in Mir-2.
Already in the trailer, he is reaping the laurels of the winner, killing the dangerous carnotaurus (if you watched the cartoon "Dinosaur" in 2001, then he is there just in the role of the main villain).
I think the answer is baby question: "which dinosaur would impress me more" is already obvious to you. But you need to add a few finishing touches to show the T-Rex in all its glory.
First, as already mentioned, he is stronger than you can imagine! This is obvious already from the fact that he carries his carcass, weighing 10-20 tons, on two legs bent at the knees. The bones, ligaments and muscles of the T-Rex must be stronger than those of any modern animal. And even than other dinosaurs: no one else carried such a carcass on two legs.
Secondly, they are terrible fighters, and during the battles with each other, they tore the opponents' ribs, necks and jaws, bit off their tails. In addition, they were incredibly tenacious creatures. They were literally terminators in this regard. As an illustration of this thesis, I advise you to watch the film "Tyrannosaurus Rex: Survival Champion". That is, in addition to his huge size and strength, he still has the incredibly reckless aggression of the Hulk and the survivability of Wolverine.
And finally - a quote from the famous Jack Horner: "... I think all T-Rex known today continued to grow."
Even bigger, fiercer and more powerful! Which dinosaur would impress you the most? Definitely a Tyrannosaurus Rex!
What is he - the largest dinosaur that once existed on our planet? For more than 160 million years, giant dinosaurs have been the dominant animals that inhabited the entire ecosystem of the Earth. Dinosaurs were both small and gigantic. But even among the giants there were individuals who stood out against their background with their greatness. Next, you will learn about which of the largest dinosaurs has ever stepped on our planet and with which brothers he had to get along.
The largest dinosaurs known to science
10. Sarcosuchus
This species of dinosaur represents an extinct genus of giant crocodiles that lived in what is now Africa 112 million years ago. Sarcosuchus are considered long-term relatives of the current crocodiles, as well as the large reptile that ever lived on our planet. According to scientists, on average, Sarcosuchus reached 12 m in length and weighed about 7 tons. The food of this reptile-like dinosaur was herbivorous small dinosaurs and sea fish.
9 Shonisaurs
It is the largest ichthyosaur known to science. This species existed over 215 million years ago. The first fossils of Shonisaurus were found in 1920, in Nevada. Thirty years later, archaeologists unearthed the remains of 37 similar dinosaurs in Nevada. The length of Shonisaurus reached 14 meters, and this big man weighed almost 40 tons. Shonisaurus fed on fish of small and medium sizes.
8 Shantungosaurus
This species is one of the largest among the herbivorous dinosaurs, which lived already in the final stage of the Cretaceous period. The very first Shantungosaurus skeleton was found not so long ago, in 1973, in the Shandong province, which is located in China. The length of the dinosaur was about 15 meters, and the weight ranged from 15 to 20 tons.
7. Liopleurodons
This dinosaur belongs to a species of marine predators that existed 160 million years ago in Europe and Central America. Some scientists claim that Liopleurodon is the largest predatory dinosaur that lived on our planet. The length of this marine dinosaur could reach 20 meters.
6. Quetzalcoatli
The winged dinosaur species Quetzalcoatl was named after the Aztec god. According to modern scientists, these dinosaurs lived on the planet about 68 million years ago. This species is the largest winged animal ever. For the first time, the remains of Quetzalcoatl were found in North America. The weight of this ancient flying fossil was approximately 250 kg, and the wingspan was 11 m.
5 Spinosaurus
The genus of these dinosaurs previously lived within modern North Africa, more than about 100 million years, that is, at the height of the Cretaceous period. In 1912, the remains of the first representative of spinosaurs were found in Egypt by German archaeologists led by paleontologist Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach. Unfortunately, the remains of the Spinosaurus were destroyed by British pilots during World War II. Later, based on other spinosaurus remains found, scientists suggested that the weight adult was 14 tons with an increase of 18 m.
4. Sauroposeidons
This genus was named after the Greek god, and in Latin Sauroposeidon (Sauroposeidon) is translated as "Poseidon's lizard". Sauroposeidons lived in the middle of the Cretaceous, about 112 million years ago. Sauroposeidon remains were first found in Oklahoma in 2000. The length of the dinosaur is 34 m, weight - 60 tons, height - 18 m.
3 Argentinosaurs
The genus Argentinosaurus lived in what is now South America about 97 million years ago. Back in 1987, the first remains of this genus of dinosaurs were found near a ranch in Argentina. The first records of Argentinosaurs were made by paleontologist José F. Bonaparte in 1993. Even though many types of remains of this genus of dinosaurs have been found, it is still almost impossible to determine their exact size. Some scientists, including José F. Bonaparte, suggest that the Argentinosaurus was 22 to 35 meters long and weighed 60 to 108 tons.
2 Mamenchisaurs
This is a genus of amazingly beautiful dinosaurs, famous for their incredibly long necks, which are half the length of the entire body. Mamenchisaurs trampled the Earth over 160 million years ago. The first fossilized remains of this species were excavated in the Chinese province of Sichuan, only in 1952. According to scientific research, the largest adult among mamenchisaurs reached at least 25 meters in length, while only the length of the neck was 15 meters.
1. Amphicelia
Amphicelia - the largest dinosaurs of our planet, belonging to the genus herbivorous giants. This type of dinosaur was first described in 1870, only one found fragment of the remains of a vertebra helped in this. From this piece, scientists were able to conclude that amphicelia reached a length of 62 m and weighed more than 160 tons. Thus, Amphicelia is not only the largest representative of giant dinosaurs, but, in general, the largest creature that has ever existed on planet.
When did the dinosaurs appear
Documented data indicate the appearance of dinosaurs about two hundred and forty million years ago. If the history of the Earth is compressed to 1 year, considering that the birth of the Earth occurred on January 1, then the first life did not appear until the end of March. The first dinosaurs would appear in mid-December. The first people would have appeared only a few hours before the end of the year.
How many animals died?
More than 99.9 percent of the animals that ever lived on Earth died out before the advent of man.
ancient reptile
An unmarked (insectivorous) (1972) was found in Kentucky, USA, estimated to be 310,000,000 years old.
Dinosaurs from the Mesozoic Era
The development of the Earth is divided into five periods of time, which are called eras. The first two eras, Archaeozoic and Proterozoic, lasted 4 billion years, that is, almost 80% of the entire earth's history. During the Archeozoic, the Earth was formed, water and oxygen arose. About 3.5 billion years ago, the first tiny bacteria and algae appeared. In the Proterozoic era, about 700 years ago, the first animals appeared in the sea. They were primitive invertebrates such as worms and jellyfish.
The Paleozoic era began 590 million years ago and lasted 342 million years. Then the Earth was covered with swamps. During the Paleozoic, large plants, fish and amphibians appeared. Mesozoic era began 248 million years ago and lasted 183 million years. At that time, the Earth was inhabited by huge lizard dinosaurs. The first mammals and birds also appeared. The Cenozoic era began 65 million years ago and continues to this day. At this time, the plants and animals that surround us today arose.
The most primitive dinosaur
…counts Eoraptor lunensis. He was given this name in 1993, when his skeleton was found in the foothills of the Andes in Argentina, in rocks whose age is 228 million years. The body length of this dinosaur reached 1 m. It was attributed to theropods (a predatory dinosaur from the ornithischian order).
Dinosaur lifespan
Most dinosaurs lived for over a hundred years.
The largest animals
Dinosaurs were the largest animals in the history of the Earth. One of the largest dinosaurs was Supersaurus. He weighed as much as 10 elephants. Herbivorous dinosaurs reached huge sizes. Especially large, up to 30 meters in length, were brachiosaurus and diplodocus. sauropods- representatives of the suborder of lizard dinosaurs, distinguished by a long neck, long tail and moving on four legs. These herbivorous dinosaurs inhabited most of the land during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, 208-65 million years ago.
Diplodocus
Diplodocus, who lived in the Cretaceous period, had a body length of more than 25 m; he lived in North America.
Dinosaurs had five fingers
The inhabitants of the land, tetrapods, were four-legged amphibians, with five toes on each foot, and loved to walk along the coastal sand of the ancient seas and oceans. These are the footprints, 360 to 345 million years old, and were recently discovered in eastern Canada - the oldest known to date.
The most ridiculous dinosaur - Therizinosaurus
Therizinosaurs had bird-like legs, a muzzle ending in a toothless beak, and four functional toes on each foot.
The heaviest dinosaurs
... were probably: Titanosaurus Antarctosaurus giganteus(giant Antarctic lizard), weighing 40-80 tons, whose fossils have been found in India and Argentina; brachiosaurus Brachiosaurus altithorax(hand-lizard), so named for its long forelimbs (45-55 tons); diplodocus Seismosaurus halli(a lizard that shakes the earth) and Supersaurus vivianae(the weight of both exceeded 50 tons, and according to some calculations, approached 100 tons). Estimated weight of the Argentine titanosaur - argentinosaurus- reached up to 100 tons. Estimates made in 1994 were based on the size of its giant vertebrae.
armored dinosaurs
Ankylosaurs- the most armored of the dinosaurs. Their back and head were protected by bone plates, horns and spikes. The body reached a width of 2.5 m. A distinctive feature was a large mace, which ended in the tail.
tallest dinosaur
The tallest and largest type of dinosaur whose skeleton was completely preserved was brachiosaurus Brachiosaurus brancai, found in Thedaguru, Tanzania. It was discovered in late Jurassic deposits (150 -144 million years ago). The total length of the Brachiosaurus was 22.2 m; height at the withers - 6 m; height with raised head - 14 m. Probably, during life, the weight of the dinosaur was 30 - 40 tons. However, the fibula of another brachiosaurus, stored in the museum, suggests that these animals were even larger.
longest dinosaur
… this is brachiosaurus. Footprints suggest that the body length of the brachiosaurus Breviparopus reached 48 m. Diplodocus Seismosaurus halli, found in 1994 in pcs. New Mexico, USA, reached a length of 39-52 m. These estimates are based on bone comparisons.
Iguanodon
Iguanodon, who lived in the Cretaceous period, had a body length of about 10 m; he lived in Western Europe, North Africa, Mongolia; was a herbivore.
The smallest dinosaurs
The smallest dinosaurs were the size of chickens. Length lived in southern Germany and southeastern France cosmognatus (trans. graceful jaw) and a little-studied herbivore fabrosaurus from pcs. Colorado, USA, from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail was 70-75 cm. The first weighed about 3 kg, and the second - 6.8 kg.
The largest skull
… belongs torosaurus. This herbivorous lizard, which wore a giant bone shield around its neck, was about 7.6 m long and weighed up to 8 tons. The length of its skull, together with the bone jabot, reached 3 m, and its weight was 2 tons. It lived in the territory of the current states of Montana and Texas, USA.
Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus, which lived in the Cretaceous period, had a body length of about 9 m; was a herbivore.
The biggest footprints were
… hadrosaur (platypus). They were discovered in 1932 in Salt Lake City, pc. Utah, USA, This large dinosaur moved on its hind legs. Its tracks are 136 cm long and 81 cm wide. Other reports from Colorado and Utah spoke of tracks that were 95-100 cm wide. The width of the tracks, apparently, of the hind limbs of the largest brachiosaurus reaches up to 100 cm.
Triceratops
Triceratops - a reptile that looks like a rhinoceros, lived in the Cretaceous period, had a body length of about 7 m; he lived in North America; was a herbivore.
The most toothy dinosaurs
... these are ornithomimids. In a bird-like dinosaur Pelecanimimus had over 220 very sharp teeth.
The longest claws
… belong therizinosaurus, found in the Nemegt Basin, Mongolia, in Late Cretaceous deposits. Their length along the outer curvature reached 91 cm (compared to 20.3 cm in Tyrannosaurus rex). This dinosaur had a fragile skull and no teeth. He probably ate termites. The second contender is spinosaurus. In January 1983, amateur paleontologist William Walker near Dorking, c. Surrey, England, a claw 30 cm long was found. It is assumed that it belonged to a Spinosaurus, the total length of which exceeded 9 m, the approximate weight was 2 tons.
Movement Speed
Dinosaur trails can be used to estimate their speed. One trail, discovered in 1981 on the territory of the piece. Texas, USA, allows us to conclude that a certain carnivorous dinosaur could move at a speed of 40 km / h. Some ornithomimids ran even faster. For example, having a large brain 100-kilogram Dromiceiomimus, living in what is now Alberta Ave, Canada, at the end of the Cretaceous, could probably overtake an ostrich, which develops a speed of over 60 km / h.
Herbivore lizard with a hole in the skull
Bones of a new species of dinosaur Suuwassea emilieae were excavated in Montana in 1999 and 2000. This herbivorous dinosaur is 150 million years old. He is a relative of the well-known diplodocus. The length of the animal was 15 meters. It had a long neck and a whip-like tail, as well as a mysterious extra hole in its skull. Its purpose is unknown. Moreover, scientists have previously found a similar extra hole in only two species of dinosaurs found in South America and Africa.
The smartest dinosaur
The flightless dinosaurs troodontids the mass of the brain in relation to the mass of the body was such that it was probably the dinosaurs that were the most intelligent, the same as the most intelligent birds.
Brain with walnut
Stegosaurus in length reached 9 meters, but his brain weighed 50 - 70 g was the size of just a walnut. This amounted to 0.002% of its body mass, which was estimated to be 3.3 tons. Stegosaurus lived about 150 million years ago in what are now the states of Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming, USA.
Plesiosaur
Plesiosaurus - a marine animal with a long neck that lived in the Cretaceous period, had a body length of 16 m; he lived in Europe, North America; lived in the sea; was carnivorous and fed on fish and marine invertebrates.
Predators were smaller
Dinosaur predators were smaller and moved on their hind limbs. The largest of these was a Tyrannosaurus rex, 5-6 meters high and 12 m long. Its mouth was 1 m long. In one sitting, it could swallow prey weighing 200 kg. Tyrannosaurs - the most terrible land predators in the history of the planet. Adult individuals weighed about 5-6 tons, and therefore were 15 times heavier than the largest modern predator - the polar bear. The dinosaur that roamed the Earth 65 million years ago was the largest land predator of all time.
How many years did tyrannosaurs live?
Tyrannosaurus rex - the most terrible land predators in the history of the planet - died young. The predator grew rapidly, gaining two kilograms a day, like a modern African elephant. How did they manage to grow to such a size? Some experts believed that they grew slowly all their lives, others that they grew rapidly in their youth, and then the rate of increase in size slowed down, like in birds and mammals. that all these creatures were between two and 28 years old at the time of death. Animals grew the most at the age of 14-18 years of their life, subsequently maintaining the achieved size.
Feathered tyrannosaurus
Ancestors tyrannosaurus rex were covered with small feathers, not bare skin. The ancestral skeleton, about 130 million years old, is the oldest representative of the genus of tyrannosaurs, and so far the only one whose "featheredness" is not in doubt among paleontologists. He was about a meter and a half from the nose to the tip of the tail. However, he walked on his hind legs and was a formidable predator - for smaller herbivorous dinosaurs. The tyrannosaurus itself was hardly covered with feathers - they would have interfered with it more than helped, because of its large size, it was more important for it to give off excess heat to the outside world so as not to overheat. However, his "chicks" could hatch from eggs, covered with some kind of fluff, and lose it as they grow older Slow predators
The largest predator in the dinosaur world was probably quite slow.
The Tyrannosaur rex could not reach speeds of more than 40 km/h, although many scientists believe that it was able to run almost twice as fast. Scientists made their conclusions on the basis of a computer model of a six-ton lizard.
What did tyrannosaurs eat?
The size of the tyrannosaurs was a problem for these animals - becoming larger, they most likely gradually lost the ability to move quickly. Young small animals could reach speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour, but as soon as the weight became more than a ton, this became impossible for biomechanical reasons. So if this animal was a predator and not a scavenger, it is a mystery how it managed to get enough food to maintain a gigantic body growth rate. Perhaps the Jurassic ecosystem produced enough carrion - and the tyrannosaurs simply did not need to actively hunt. There was plenty of fall around. It is still unclear whether the tyrannosaurs were predators, or whether they fed mainly on carrion?
tyrannosaurus rex
Tyrannosaurus, who lived in the Cretaceous period, had a body length of about 14 m; he lived in Asia, North America; it is the largest carnivorous land animal ever.
four-winged pangolin
A four-winged dinosaur lived in northeastern China Microraptor gui. It is assumed that he could make short gliding flights from tree to tree. Its length from head to tail is only 77 cm, but it is he who is considered the rarest of all dinosaur species ever discovered. One of the most valuable finds is the remains of a four-winged carnivorous dinosaur, dubbed "Microraptor gui", which were discovered last year in the Chinese province of Liaoning. According to scientists, this type of dinosaur is the last missing link in the evolutionary picture of the transformation of pangolins into birds.
powerful bite
Tyrannosaurus did not just sink its teeth into the body of the victim, as, say, lions do today. He quickly and easily bit through muscles, cartilage and even thick bones to a great depth, and then pulled out large pieces of flesh from the victim. The ground bones were eaten along with the meat. Tyrannosaurus rex had a very strong skull and jaw. And the most amazing thing is that the monster also had a whole shock absorption system. In particular, unlike most animals, some of the bones that make up the skull of the tyrannosaurus retained some mobility relative to each other. The connective tissues helped dissipate the impact energy. Of course, its sharp 15-centimeter teeth also contributed to this way of feeding the tyrannosaurus.
How did the dinosaur breathe?
What was the effective volume of the lungs in fossils can be judged by studying the articulations between the spinal column and the ribs of the animal. In their oldest species respiratory system was significantly weaker than, for example, in tyrannosaurus rex and others that lived closer to the end of the Jurassic period. The chest of the latter had the best ability to expand. The early lizards of North America were able to absorb forty percent less air per unit time than the later ones, who lived after the mid-Jurassic period. As for the dinosaurs of South America, their similar development took place much later.
Hunting strategy of northern dinosaurs
There is an assumption that the "northerners" resorted to "patrolling" large areas, and then pursued their prey over very long distances. This hypothesis is based on the study chest predators, which allowed the lungs to absorb large volumes of air.
The largest eggs
postponed titanosaurus Hypselosaurus priscus, A 12-meter titanosaur that lived about 73-65 million years (according to some sources - 80 million years) ago. Fragments of this dinosaur's egg were found in October 1961 in the Durance Valley, France. It can be assumed that in general its dimensions were 30 cm in length and 25.5 cm in diameter (capacity - 3.3 l). The titanosaur itself weighed about 10 tons.
Most big egg, ever deposited by a living being belongs to the extinct Aepiornis of Madagascar. The egg had a length of 24 cm and a volume of 11 liters.
Dinosaurs were caring parents Unusual fossils have been excavated in China from Cretaceous rock layers. This is the skeleton of one adult dinosaur species. Psittacosaurus, surrounded by skeletons of 34 "kids". Psittacosaurus is a small herbivorous dinosaur that reached the size of a dog. The position of the skeletons suggests that they all suffered a sudden death - maybe the collapse of a hole, maybe they were covered by a volcanic eruption. The number and density of infant remains close to adults is another fact in the body of evidence for the prevalence of parental care among dinosaurs.
Long-necked dinosaur hunted from ambush
Dinocephalosaurus orientalis lived 230 million years ago. He swam in the shallow sea that is now southeast China. This swimming dinosaur had an unusually long neck with 25 vertebrae. Also, unusual bone processes protruding sideways were found near the neck. The carnivorous Dinocephalosaurus orientalis may have been one of the first ambush hunters. And he could arrange it just in the water. The fact is that due to the turbidity of the water and poor lighting, the huge body of the dinosaur, hidden "somewhere out there", was not visible to the fish. They could only see a small head. But the monster also hid her away from the intended victim, and then - with a snake throw of the head and flexible neck - overtook the prey. At the same time, the predator solved the problem of a strong shock wave in the water in a very original way, which overtakes the fish first and frightens it and gives the fish a chance to escape with a sharp, instinctive acceleration. At the time of the throw of the dinosaur, the muscles of the neck protruded those same processes, pushing the neck apart. Its volume increased sharply and through the open mouth the monster simply swallowed its own shock wave, which fell into a huge long throat along with an unsuspecting victim.
Why did dinosaurs become extinct?
Dinosaurs became extinct about 65 million years ago. The reason for their complete disappearance is not yet known. Among the reasons may be the following: 1) an asteroid that fell to Earth threw up such a cloud of dust that it blocked access to the sun's rays, causing mass death of plants and large animals from the cold; 2) the earth got too hot, and the dinosaurs could not withstand the sharp warming of the climate; 3) the number of mammals that ate the food familiar to dinosaurs began to grow rapidly.
Plesiosaur Diet
Found in Queensland (where the sea was 100-110 million years ago), the fossilized remains of two elasmosaurid plesiosaurs have helped establish their diet. These plesiosaurs weighed about a ton and reached a length of 5-6 meters. These specimens died shortly after their dinner, and the contents of their stomachs were also well preserved. It turned out that there are a lot of snails, bivalves and crustaceans - the inhabitants of the bottom - their broken and undigested shells and shells. Interestingly, the teeth of the plesiosaur were not adapted for grinding hard shells and snail "houses". Gastrolith stones were found in his stomach, which helped the animal cope with shells.
The first reliably documented discovery of the remains of giant reptiles
... there was a huge jaw with a full set of teeth, discovered in 1770 in a quarry in the Netherlands. The great Georges Cuvier examined this jaw and in 1795 declared that it belonged to some huge sea lizard. A few years later, the Reverend William Conybeare, a connoisseur of marine animals, called the discovered creature a mosasaur - “a lizard from Moose” (after the name of the place where the bones were found).
An animal the size of a crow
Rahonavis - This crow-sized animal, which lived about 80 million years ago, belongs to the same group of dinosaurs as Velociraptor. True, the creature also has a lot in common with birds. Rachonavis had a retractable sickle-shaped claw on the middle toe, a feather cover, and a long clawed tail similar to Archeopteryx.
Hadrosaurus - the first dinosaur discovered
More than half a century passed, and in 1858 in New Jersey, in the USA, bones were found, including an almost complete skeleton, of another giant reptile. These findings were studied by Joseph Leady, professor of anatomy. He drew attention to the fact that the forelimbs of the discovered lizard were much shorter than the hind ones, and concluded that these fossil animals must have moved on their hind legs, like modern kangaroos. This judgment helped in the future to establish the appearance of such bipedal (i.e., moving on two legs) lizards, such as iguanodons, megalosaurs, tyrannosaurs and others. The remains, discovered in 1858, are now believed to have belonged to a hadrosaur, one of the duck-billed dinosaurs.
Ichthyosaurus and Megalosaurus from England
In England, at the beginning of the 19th century, Professor William Buckland examined a jawbone with teeth, which his friend, James Parkinson, identified as belonging to a huge pangolin called Megalosaurus. A description of this fossil was published in 1824. In 1811, eleven-year-old Mary Anning and her brother Joseph, while collecting shells and fossils for their mother's shop in Lima Regis in southern England, found a 5-meter skull of a giant marine reptile, later named ichthyosaur.
First discovery of an iguanodon
Around 1818, the country doctor Gideon Mantel and his wife Mary were collecting fossil bones and teeth from a quarry in Sussex. The most interesting were the finds of leaf-shaped teeth resembling the teeth of a modern iguana lizard. Hence the name iguanodon, which was given to this animal in 1825.
Who coined the word "dinosaur"
The very word dinosaurs appeared around 1841. This name was proposed by the paleontologist Richard Owen, who was able to understand that such creatures as Megalosaurus, Iguanodon, and also Guleosaurus, discovered shortly before, were so different from modern reptiles that they should have been distinguished in a separate group. Owen identified this group as a suborder, which he called the dinosaur suborder. In the future, ideas about the classification of reptiles have changed, and now giant ancient reptiles are no longer considered a single systematic group. But nevertheless, the word “dinosaurs”, which has gained wide popularity, still serves today as a generalized name for these extraordinary animals.
Ichthyosaur
A fish lizard or ichthyosaur that lived in the Cretaceous period had a body length of 12 m; he lived in the sea.
Iguanodons from Belgium
In 1876, a remarkable discovery was made in a coal mine near the village of Bernissart in Belgium - a whole cemetery of iguanodons was found: 39 skeletons, many of which were complete! These remains were dissected and then mounted in the Brussels Museum in a bipedal position.
The most mysterious dinosaur of the Cambrian period
…was found in Canada a hundred years ago. This is a hallucinogenia (Gallucinogenia - a genus of marine lobopods), which lived at the bottom of an ancient lake about 500 million years ago. Hallucinogenia probably had male and female forms. A larger and more stable form was a "stiff body with a strong neck and a spherical head." The smaller form was thinner, with a movable torso and slender neck, surmounted by a small head with two fang-like outgrowths, two horns, and possibly a pair of eyes. Both forms possessed seven pairs of hard vertebral processes and seven pairs of long, thin, flexible legs with large claws typical of modern caterpillar-like invertebrates. Far from being a "dead end of the universe," hallucinogenia and its contemporaries had features that can be considered inherited by some organisms that are quite successfully living now. Other dinosaur monsters are Viwaxia, a scaly creature with a ring-shaped ornament of growths on its back, and Anomalocaris, a fearsome, squid-like predator.
The Great American Dinosaur Hunt
In the second half of the XIX century. The most remarkable dinosaur discoveries were made in North America, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Two paleontological researchers, Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drickner Cope, independently sent expeditions to the area and paid prospectors for interesting fossils. As a result of their search, dubbed the "Great American Dinosaur Hunt", until the end 19th century 136 new species of ancient lizards were discovered.
Cradle of Dinosaurs - Canada
Canada became the main place to search for dinosaur remains at the beginning of this century. Barnum Brown, a professional "dinosaur hunter" who worked for the American Museum of Natural History and discovered fragments of several tyrannosaurus rex skeletons in Montat, began excavations in the Red Deep River region in Alberta. There he discovered skeletal fragments of duck-billed dinosaurs. And the Canadian explorer Charles Shterenberg and his sons managed to find there a large number of remains of not only platypuses, but also carnivorous, armored and horned dinosaurs.
Brachiosaurus and Centasaurus from Tanzania
In 1909, an expedition from the Berlin Museum discovered the skeletons of a brachiosaurus and a centasaurus in Tanzania.
A new species of dinosaur named Buitreraptor gonzalezorum discovered in northwestern Patagonia fossils. This predator, very similar to a bird, was not a bird. The dinosaur, about the size of a rooster, hunted snakes and lizards, as well as small mammals. He had long tail and forelimbs, similar to wings, however, "equipped" with powerful claws. Its elongated muzzle resembles a beak, but it was sharp teeth talking about the "meat" diet. The Butriraptor, like its closest relative Velociraptor, belongs to the class dromaeosaurs, bird-like dinosaurs that run on two legs.
Oviraptors and Velociraptors from the Gobi Desert
In 1923, in Central Asia (Gobi Desert), the remains of protoceratops were discovered - amazing herbivorous pangolins with a powerful bone collar on the skull, small predatory oviraptors, reminiscent of appearance small ostriches with a long (up to 1.5-2 m) tail and a horn-like outgrowth on the nose, and velociraptors, predatory dinosaurs of medium size. In addition, dinosaur eggs were found for the first time in the world in the Flaming Rocks area. Later, a similar egg with a well-preserved embryo was used to determine its belonging to predatory oviraptors.
Baryonyx - a new type of dinosaur
In 1983, in Surrey (England), a complete skeleton of Baryonyx was unearthed, the body structure of which does not correspond to any regularities in the structure of carnivorous dinosaurs. Its forelimbs were long enough for it to walk on all fours. The muzzle of the Baryonyx was decorated with a crest. In addition, it had very long jaws, armed with a huge number of teeth - twice as many as other carnivorous dinosaurs. The elongated limbs of the dinosaur were equipped with huge curved claws, with the help of which Baryonyx caught fish. Later, its relationship was established with the spinosaurus Spinosaurus from Egypt and Morocco. They were the forerunners of crocodiles. The length of the baryonix was about 9.5 m. He lived 125 years ago.
Bones of ancient lizards found on all continents
In China, where dinosaur research began only in the 40s. of our century, so many dinosaur skeletons were found that they made up a fourth of all now known finds, and a huge number of eggs of ancient pangolins were also found there. Moreover, Chinese dinosaurs turned out to be very similar to their counterparts found in North America. This gave reason to assume that in the Mesozoic throughout the Northern Hemisphere there were very similar ecological conditions. Currently, work on the search for fossil remains continues, but organizing international expeditions is becoming increasingly difficult. All over the world, there are difficulties with financing and supply, not to mention all sorts of political turmoil.
Of all the varieties of dinosaurs in Asia, the remains of sauropods and ornithopods are the most common. A pangolin called Chuanjiesaurus anaensis, which was discovered in 1995 in the Chuanze region, is the largest sauropod living in Asia and at the same time the oldest sauropod in the world.
For excavations of dinosaurs - prison
Many interesting dinosaur cemeteries are located in remote and remote places, in countries whose authorities are suspicious of international groups showing interest in their possessions. Thus, members of an international expedition spent Christmas 1977 behind bars in a Nigerian prison because of the researchers' goals misunderstood by the authorities of that country. However, amazing discoveries still occur.
A meteorite impact led to the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago
According to today's theory, after the fall of a meteorite with a diameter of 10 km, something similar to a "nuclear" winter occurred on Earth. At the same time, the temperature fell on the whole earth by an average of 7-12°C. According to new data, the maximum difference could be only 7°C.
The shield has not changed for 200 million years
An ordinary shield that lives in clean puddles of ecologically safe areas of our country, according to outward signs like two drops of water similar to their distant ancestors, who lived about 200 million years ago.
Does a plesiosaur live in Loch Ness?
Unknown.
Do pterodactyls live in the Congo?
Not yet clarified.