Any person imagines a dinosaur in the form of a ferocious lizard of terrifying size, grinning a huge mouth and destroying everything in its path. Indeed, most ancient reptiles had gigantic sizes that boggle the imagination. Numerous finds indicate this. individual fragments and even entire skeletons of fossil lizards. However, not all dinosaurs were giants; among them there were certain species that nature, as if in mockery, endowed with the height of a chicken. These tiny creatures darted in numerous flocks among the thickets of relict ferns, trying not to get under the feet of their huge relatives and looking for even smaller prey.
Why did scientists know so little about these amazing little creatures until recently? It was their short stature that played a cruel joke on them. The bones of these dinosaurs were so light and fragile that they did not stand the test of time and have practically not survived to the present day. Only isolated finds allowed these small reptiles to make themselves known.
This lizard gained fame as the smallest predator of the Jurassic period. Its length did not exceed a meter, and its weight reached only two kilograms. It walked on fast hind legs, had a long tail and a movable head. The nimble dinosaur hunted insects and lizards. A total of three Compsognathus skeletons were found. Two of them were discovered in Europe in the mid-nineteenth and late twentieth centuries, and one skeleton was preserved in Russia and was found as recently as 2010. Thanks to these finds, scientists were able to restore the appearance and habits of the fossil dinosaur.
Nquebasaurus
The only fragment of the skeleton of this lizard was found in 2000 in Africa, near the Sahara Desert. Most likely the remains belonged to a cub. The structural features of these lizards include the presence of long fingers, which made it possible to capture prey. The so-called stomach stones, which are usually intended for grinding plant foods, are preserved in the intestines. This allowed scientists to conclude that Nkwebasaurs were omnivorous. The dinosaur did not exceed a meter in length and was a contemporary of Compsognathus.
Scipionyx
The perfectly preserved skeleton of this lizard was found in Italy at the end of the twentieth century. The skeleton, which belonged to a baby dinosaur, pleased scientists with an extensive base for research, because the fossilized remains preserved the structure of not only the soft tissues of the animal, but also its internal organs. Most likely, the lizard's body was covered with primitive feathers. It walked on its hind legs, supporting its body with its tail. The size of adult individuals, according to scientists, reached two meters. The dinosaur lived in the Cretaceous period and was a predator. In any case, among the undigested food remains, scientists found lizards and fish.
Eoraptorlunensis is considered the most primitive among all dinosaurs. It received this name in 1993, when in the foothills of the Andes, located in Argentina, in rocks dating back 228 million years, researchers discovered the skeleton of this creature. Scientists classified this dinosaur, whose body length reached 1 m, as a theropod - predatory dinosaurs from the ornithischian order.
Therizinosaurus named the most ridiculous dinosaur
Its legs resembled bird legs, each of which had 4 functional fingers, and at the end of the creature’s muzzle there was a toothless beak.
Sauropods were representatives of the suborder of saurian dinosaurs. They were distinguished from other monsters by their incredibly long neck and tail. Sauropods walked on four limbs. These herbivorous dinosaurs inhabited most of the land in the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods (208-65 million years ago).
Scientists believe that the heaviest dinosaurs were:
- Titanosaurs Antarctosaurus giganteus (giant arctic lizards), fossils of which were discovered in Argentina and India. Their weight reached 40-80 tons. Moreover, the approximate weight of the Argentine titanosaur (Argentinosaurus) could reach up to 100 tons. Such estimates were made in 1994 based on measurements of the size of its giant vertebrae.
- Brachiosaurs Brachiosaurus altithorax (arm lizards), got their name due to their long forelimbs. The weight of these giants was 45-55 tons.
- Diplodocus Seismosaurus halli (earth-shaking lizards) and Supersaurus vivianae, whose weight exceeded 50 tons, and according to some sources could be close to 100 tons.
The largest and tallest species of dinosaurs
the skeleton of which was completely preserved was discovered in Tanzania, more precisely in Tedaguru, Brachiosaurus brancai. Its remains were found in Late Jurassic deposits formed 150-144 million years ago. Excavations were carried out by German expeditions in 1909-1911. The preparation of the bones and the assembly of the skeleton took place at the Natural History Museum at Berlin's Humboldt University. The dinosaur skeleton was created from the bones of not one, but several individuals in 1937. The total body length of the brachiosaurus was 22.2 m, the height at the withers was 6 m, and the height with the head raised was 14 m. During his lifetime, his weight, according to scientists, reached 30-40 tons. The fibula of another brachiosaurus, also kept in the museum, suggests that these dinosaurs could have been much larger.
The longest dinosaurs were
the brachiosaurus Breviparopus, whose body length could be 48 m, and the diplodocus Seismosaurus halli, discovered in the US state of New Mexico in 1994, whose body length reached 39-52 m. The basis for obtaining such estimates was a comparison of animal bones.
The smallest dinosaurs are considered
cosmognatus (elegant jaw) that lived in the southern part of Germany and the southeastern region of France and the little-studied herbivorous fabrosaurus that lived in the American state of Colorado. The length of these creatures, from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, was 70-75cm. The weight of the first reached 3 kg, the weight of the second - 6.8 kg.
Ankylosaurs are considered the most armored
of all the dinosaurs that existed on our planet. Their head and back were reliably protected by bone plates, spikes and horns. The width of their body was about 2.5 m. Their main hallmark there was a tail, at the end of which there was a huge mace.
The largest traces of a prehistoric lizard
There were traces discovered in 1932 in Salt Lake City, Utah. They belonged to a large hadrosaur (platypus) moving on its hind limbs. The length of the tracks was 136 cm and the width was 81 cm. Other reports from Colorado and the same Utah spoke of yet another tracks 95-100m wide. According to some data, the width of the hind paw prints of the largest brachiosaurs can reach 100 cm.
The largest skull
belonged to a torosaurus, a herbivorous lizard that wore a huge bone shield around its neck. The length of this dinosaur could reach 7.6 m and weight - 8 tons. The length of the skull alone, together with the ossified frill, was 3 m, and its weight was about 2 tons. This “brainy” creature lived in the territory of modern American states Texas and Montana.
In the line of the most toothy dinosaurs
in first place are the ornithomimids Pelecanimimus (bird-like dinosaurs). Their mouths contained more than 220 incredibly sharp teeth.
Owners of the longest claws
were therizinosaurs discovered in the Late Cretaceous sediments of the Nemegt basin, located in Mongolia. The length of their claw along the outer curvature could reach 91 cm. In Tyrannosaurus rex, for comparison, this value was 20.3 cm. Therizinosaurus had no teeth at all, and the skull was quite fragile. This lizard, according to scientists, ate termites.
Spinosaurus, whose total length reached 9 m and weighed about 2 tons, could also boast of its long claws. In January 1983, amateur paleontologist William Walker discovered a 30cm long claw belonging to a spinosaurus near Dorking, England.
The largest eggs
Of all the dinosaurs known to science, it was laid by the 12-meter titanosaur Hypselosaurus priscus, which lived on our planet about 80 million years ago. Fragments of his egg were discovered in October 1961 in the valley of the Durance River in France. According to scientists' assumptions, its overall dimensions were 25.5 cm in diameter, 30 cm in length, and its capacity was 3.3 liters.
Scientists use the tracks created by dinosaurs to determine the speed of these animals. Thus, a trail found in the American state of Texas in 1981 allowed researchers to conclude that a certain carnivorous dinosaur was capable of moving at a speed of 40 km/h. It is known that some ornithomimids could run even faster. For example, the owner of a large brain, the 100-kilogram Dromiceiomimus, who lived at the end Cretaceous period on the territory of the modern Canadian province of Alberta, could easily overtake an ostrich, whose speed can exceed 60 km/h.
The smartest dinosaurs
Troodontids are considered to be those whose brain mass in relation to their body mass was comparable to the same parameters possessed by the smartest birds.
Stegosaurus, which lived 150 million years ago in the modern American states of Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah, could reach a length of 9 m. However, the brain of this creature was no larger in size than Walnut, and his weight was only 70g, which was only 0.002% of the mass of his entire body, which averaged 3.3 tons.
If you think that we have told everything about dinosaurs, then this is not so. In fact, there are still a lot of open questions and interesting facts about these ancient creatures.
13-18 meters
The largest land-based predatory dinosaur, which lived on the planet 112 million years ago. Spinosaurus is not only the largest, but also the most dangerous land predator, which managed to wreak terror mainly in the territory of North Africa. According to available data, two skeletons of a dangerous creature were also found in Egypt and Morocco. Based archaeological finds, its back was covered with long spines, approximately 10 times the diameter of its vertebrae. The length varies from 1.5 to 1.7 meters. Most likely, the spines allowed the “predator” to regulate its body temperature. Thus, the largest carnivorous dinosaur is not the Tyrannosaurus Rex at all. Modern paleontologists are sure that with the help of their “sails” spinosaurs scared away other predators. Although, based on its size, this creature had no enemies on land. The weight of representatives of the spinosauridae family ranged from 7 to 21 tons with a height of up to 4.5 meters.
The name for the representatives of this family of dinosaurs was invented by Savage in 1873 after the discovery of a small number of remains of the creature - 3 teeth of 7 centimeters each. Later it turned out that the paleontologist managed to find the remains of the largest marine dinosaur, Liopleurodon, in Northern France. It is known that the reptile also lived in the territory of present-day Germany and England. The viviparous species had first-class protection - very strong bone plates under the skin. The maximum length of teeth found throughout the entire existence of the planet is 30 centimeters. Most likely, the largest representative of the genus reached 20 meters in length.
It's about about the largest aquatic dinosaur, which is also the largest predator. Fortunately for other animals of the time, Pliosaurus never left the water. For a long time, experts believed that maximum length the predator reached a maximum of 20 meters. Everything changed after the discovery of paleontologists in Mexico - an eighteen-meter skeleton, on which there were traces of the four-meter teeth of another predator. Consequently, the size of the second Pliosaur ranged from 25 meters. The fins alone, according to rough estimates, were 3 meters.
Among the largest herbivorous dinosaurs experts attribute Puertasaurus, whose length reached 120 feet. In 2016, a certain Matt Wedel conducted a comparative analysis of the vertebrae of Puertasaurus with Notocolossus, as a result of which he found out that the weight of the herbivorous animal could reach 80 tons. Prior to this scientific work, it was believed that Weight Limit the creature is 50 tons. Thus, we see that the study of dinosaurs is very relevant. It is possible that in a few years we will learn completely new data and important facts about the life of dinosaurs.
Now you know how much the largest dinosaur in the world weighed! Share your comments, and don't forget to stay tuned for new materials!
Life publishes rating prehistoric giants, compiled by Stepan Savelyev. This Moscow schoolboy became famous after his mother published a post on social networks asking him to support her son and like his posts. The fact is that his classmates called the boy a “loser” because he is interested in dinosaurs and does not play computer games, like everyone else. As a result, Styopa instantly became a star on the Runet and federal television channels. Life invited Styopa to try out as a freelance writer.
"I analyzed 10 dinosaurs that managed to distinguish themselves in some way. I hope no one will be offended that I allowed myself to joke a little."
1. Spinosaurus
The biggest predator. It is easy to recognize by the sail that grows on its back. This sail reached 2-4 meters in height! Probably, if desired, Spinosaurus could become a hang glider! The spinosaurus was 16 meters long, 5-8 meters high, and weighed from 4 to 14 tons. Its long jaw allowed it to hunt fish and other aquatic inhabitants. During periods of drought, he ate other dinosaurs and did not disdain carrion. This comrade also managed to appear in films and cartoons. It was he who defeated the Tyrannosaurus in Jurassic Park 3.
Recommendation: if you put it on a chain and put it on a huge raft, then its sail will help it go on the right course, especially if it is turned in the right direction with the help of the stern. And if this sail is painted red, then you can at the same time remove “Scarlet Sails” in dinoversion. A sort of Godzilla from the ocean under scarlet sails.
2. Tyrannosaurus rex
Probably the most famous dinosaur in the world. In total, more than 30 individuals were found, including almost complete skeletons. This is a very large predator, reaching 13 meters in length and 4 meters in height, weighing almost 7 tons. He ran quite fast with such a weight - his speed was from 40 to 70 km per hour. A real car! At the same time, he was quite nasty and harmful in character. He is a cannibal, which means he ate his own kind.
True, you can laugh at him (from a distance, of course): he had very short front legs, like a crocodile from a cartoon about bad teeth. So, most likely, his teeth also hurt; he was unlikely to be able to brush them.
3. Torosaurus
My favorite dinosaur with one of the largest skulls. But I love him not only for this. It was found for the first time quite a long time ago, back in the 19th century. Its size was about 8 meters, and the skull was 3 meters long, that is, more than a third of the entire dinosaur was the head. This means he could be very smart! It was quite heavy. Herbivorous. And he also managed to appear in “Jurassic Park 3.” Torosaurus has a beak that helps it deftly bite leaves and branches. It was not aggressive in itself, but could defend itself well, having very large and strong horns. Not every predator would dare to contact a torosaurus - who wants to become a victim of a dinocorrida? Torosaurus also had a large bony collar, larger in size than Triceratops, which is similar in appearance to Torosaurus. Confused yet?
Recommendation: Due to its non-aggression and intelligence, it can be used as a large pet. For example, how some people keep elephants. Surely you can teach him some tricks and then perform with him.
4. Stegosaurus
A dinosaur with a very small brain, only the size of a walnut! This is a very beautiful and unusual dinosaur. This is a common combination of beauty and intelligence for those times. Has plates on his back that help him cool or heat his body. Some scientists think that he could move these plates like a butterfly's wings. It was a little short of the length of a tyrannosaurus, it was about 9 meters in length, and weighed about four and a half tons. Stegosaurus was a herbivore, usually grazing like a cow. He didn't give me milk. But his hind legs were stronger than his front legs, so he could pluck trees in search of food. Despite the fact that he was a herbivore, he was quite dangerous - there were spikes on his tail, and a blow from such a tail could be fatal for many dinosaurs! It is said that its plates could be painted in very bright colors. To attract the attention of female dinosaurs, and vice versa. In fact, scientists still don’t know what color dinosaurs actually were, so we can only fantasize.
5. Allosaurus
This is one of the first dinosaurs found. His remains were discovered back in the 19th century, in 1877. This is also a movie star dinosaur, just like the Tyrannosaurus rex. He starred in the films “The Lost World” (based on the novel by K. Doyle) and “And Thunder Rolled” (based on the novel by R. Bradbury). Allosaurus is a predatory and very large dinosaur. It is quite dangerous, but is smaller in size than the Tyrannosaurus rex and much lighter. He moved faster. It reached 9-10 meters in length, and its front legs were also small, like those of a tyrannosaurus, although longer. On his front paws he had three large and very dangerous dirty claws. It was dangerous for male allosaurus to quarrel with their females: they could scratch out their eyes. Interesting fact: Allosaurus could breathe like birds, not exhaling air from its mouth, but blowing it through special holes in the vertebrae. An unusual technical solution, but it helped him pursue prey for a long time without losing his breath. Which, as it were, never happened.
Recommendation: given the excellent physical fitness and the presence of special holes, it can be used to participate in a marathon race. True, he will have to release prey ahead, which he will pursue. It is unlikely that it will be possible to come to an amicable agreement with him. There's also a problem with the brain.
6. Argentinosaurus
One of the largest dinosaurs found. Its length is from 22 to 35 meters, and its height is 12-14 meters. Like a five-story building! Can you imagine? This “meat house” weighed about 70-75 tons. How much does the first American reusable transport vehicle weigh? spaceship Enterprise. Of course, it is impossible to feed such a monster with meat. He was a herbivore - he ate grass, leaves, twigs. Really, honey? Naturally, given his size, few could pose a danger to him at all, except that small predators, like piranhas, could swoop down on him in a flock and gnaw him. He wouldn't have had time to run away from them, but he could fight back for a long time I could, especially if the flock was small. He did not move very quickly and on four legs; they were powerful and identical, like those of an elephant.
7. Seismosaurus
One of the longest dinosaurs. Reached a length of 50 meters. He is also one of the heaviest dinosaurs. Its weight reached 140 tons! It's like the E-100 tank, for those who understand. This cutie ate grass and leaves. He had a oh-so-long neck and a oh-oh-very long tail. In general, this dinosaur walked on four legs almost parallel to the ground. Of course, he could not rise on his hind legs, but he could raise his neck upward to get to higher leaves, when he had already eaten everything below. Nobody messed with such a dinosaur, so he himself was not dangerous, and few people attempted to kill him. The main thing here is not to get caught in his paws or tail. If he wandered into a swampy area, he could get stuck, so he mostly wandered on land, sometimes reaching the surface of swamps and lakes, and could not even climb into forests due to his size. Poor!
8. Apatosaurus
The dinosaur with two names and the most mistakes in learning. Scientists gave him someone else's name and attributed someone else's head. Skulls of herbivorous dinosaurs are rarely preserved because the bones of such skulls are usually small and decay more quickly. Its middle name is Brontosaurus. Very large dinosaur.Reached a length of 20 meters and weighed about 17- 20 tons. But at the same time, his brain weighed only 400 grams. Not the smartest dinosaur. But he could stand on his hind legs, which for dinosaurs with such long neck Sun e -still a rarity. Apatosaurus lived in packs.They had a rather long neck and a long tail.They walked, lifting him off the ground, otherwise the comrades walking behind could push him away.
9. Eorpator
One of the most early dinosaurs. Lived during the Triassic period almost 230 million years ago. He was very small, only 1 meter in length, and weighed only 10 kilograms. Almost like a dog. He was a predator, so, of course, it’s better not to keep one like that as a pet.
10. Compsognathus
One of the smallest dinosaurs. This baby was less than a meter long, usually 60-70 centimeters, and weighed up to 3 kilograms. Like a cat. True, he has more teeth than a cat - 68! It’s clear that you don’t need so many teeth to chew grass. It was a predator. Very harmful, like any small predators. Given its small size, it needed to live in a pack. Alone, such kids have little chance of a good hunt, and defending themselves in a crowd is more fun. It ate lizards and insects. He had a very mobile neck, like an owl's, he could rotate it in a very large radius. The long tail helped him keep his balance when running fast. He ran on two hind legs, his front legs were short. He probably used them to hold his prey while eating, like a hamster. These little buggers also took part in Jurassic Park 2. The man was eaten. Mercenary.
Amazing and mysterious animals -. Despite the fact that people were unable to discover their existence, the remains of dinosaurs were forever preserved in the geological deposits of the Earth, on the pages of scientific and fiction, in our imagination.
The period separating humans and dinosaurs is 230 million years.
Of course, knowledge about these incredible creatures is available thanks to the painstaking work of scientists around the world, collecting information bit by bit.
Many discoveries and discoveries allowed us to restore appearance animals, design their behavior, determine the type of food and relationships with relatives.
In today's article, we invite you to get acquainted with the largest representatives of dinosaurs and evaluate their size and appearance.
Unusual name came to us from the Nahuatl language, and translated means “feathered serpent” - the deity of the Aztecs and other tribes of Central America.
Today, Quetzalcoatlus is the only large representative of the pterosaur order.
Flying lizards lived at the end of the Cretaceous period - 69-65 million years ago.
The weight of quetzalcoatlus reached 250 kg, body length - 7 m. The wingspan of the feathered dinosaur was 12 meters.
They presumably ate carrion, and rarely small animals. They had a long beak and sharp teeth, which allowed them to absorb rough food without difficulty.
Quetzalcoatli were distributed in the United States, Texas.
The name of this species of ancient lizard comes from two Greek words “flesh” and “crocodile”. However, Sarcosuchus does not belong to the order of crocodilians.
It is considered the largest crocodile-like reptile that lived in the Cretaceous period.
The body length of Sarcosuchus could reach 15 meters, and the weight ranged from 8 to 14 tons. The dimensions of the skull were also gigantic - 1.6 m.
The huge Sarcosuchus had a powerful jaw, the strength of which was 15-20 tons.
These dinosaurs ate aquatic animals, fish and other lizards.
Scientists have determined that they lived in the territory of modern Africa.
Spinosaurus literally means “spined lizard.” Spinosaurus received this name due to the structure of the body and skin.
They lived in the Cretaceous period - 112-93.5 million years ago - on the territory of modern North Africa.
Spinosaurs mastered both aquatic and terrestrial environment a habitat. Among their carnivorous relatives, they had the largest skull. Body weight could be from 9 to 12 tons, length - 15-18 meters.
Spinosaurus is easy to recognize: the sail-shaped vertebral processes especially stand out in its appearance. They also had well-developed forelimbs, which helped them hold the prey.
Scientists believe that the favorite delicacy of spinosaurs was stingrays.
The remains were first found in Egypt in 1915. It was they who allowed the German paleontologist E. Stromer to compile detailed description.
Shantungosaurus is a hadrosaurus found in Shandong Province, China, during the Late Cretaceous period.
Counts largest representative ornithischian dinosaurs.
The herbivorous Shantungosaurus could reach 15-17 meters in length and 15-20 tons in weight.
The dinosaur's beak was toothless, but the jaws themselves had about 1,500 tiny teeth designed for grinding food.
Near the nostrils there was a hole covered with a membrane. By inflating it, Shantungosaurus could make sounds.
The unusual name, derived from its long neck and tail, translates to “double beam.”
Giant representative lizard-hipped dinosaurs that existed in Jurassic period.
Diplodocus had very impressive dimensions: height - 10 m, body length - 28-32 m, weight - 20-30 tons. 4 powerful legs helped him move, and his tail created balance.
Some researchers, for example, believe that the tail could also serve for communication between individuals in a flock. But its main purpose is protection from predators.
Diplodocus fed on vegetation, algae and small mollusks. The dinosaur's poorly developed teeth only allowed it to grind food, not chew it.
Shonisaurus is considered the largest fish lizard, or ichthyosaur. They existed in the Late Triassic period - 250-90 million years ago, hiding in the depths of the ocean.
The dimensions of shonisaurs were enormous: length - 12-14 m, weight - 30-40 tons. The skull reached 2 meters and had narrow jaws.
Most likely, they were hunters and preferred big fish.
The largest burial was found in Nevada in 1920. While mining for gold and silver, miners came across a giant skeleton.
All remains found belong to adults.
Sauroposeidon are giant sauropods that existed during the Cretaceous period - 125-100 million years ago.
WITH greek name This dinosaur is translated as "Poseidon's lizard".
The four-legged herbivore had gigantic size: the length of the body reached 31-34 meters, and the weight of the lizard was 60 tons.
In the list of the tallest dinosaurs, Sauroposeidon would take second place, since its height, including its elongated neck, is 20 m.
Female sauroposeidons laid hundreds of eggs, but, unfortunately, a catastrophically small number survived: 3-4 individuals. This is due to the fact that after hatching, the babies faced many dangers: apart from their size, they had no other protection.
Young sauroposeidons lived independently in forests, feeding around the clock to grow. Only upon reaching a certain size were they accepted into the flock.
This type of lizard was discovered quite recently - 1994, Oklahoma, USA. Unusual remains were discovered in the prison yard. Moreover, the vertebrae initially found were mistaken for the trunk of a huge tree.
So unusual name The dinosaur acquired its name thanks to the dialect of the local languages Mapudungun. Translated as “chief giant”.
Futalognkosaurs lived in the Upper Cretaceous period - 94-85 million years ago - in the territory of modern South America.
Futalognokosaurs grew up to 15 meters in height, 32-35 meters in length, and their weight reached 80 tons.
The remains of these giants were also discovered recently - 2000, Neuquen province, Argentina.
Argentinosaurus is one of the largest dinosaurs that lived in South America.
Apparently, they didn’t think long about the name of this species: that’s what they called it, “lizard from Argentina.”
Individuals of Argentinosaurs could grow to unimaginable sizes: body length - 22-35 m, weight of the lizard - 60-110 tons.
They had a long neck. The 4 limbs were approximately the same in size - they used them to move. The ability to stand on two legs, shown in films about the Argentinosaurus, is controversial, since the size of the front legs and the volume of the body most likely would not have allowed him to do this.
The giants' diet consisted of leaves tall trees and other vegetation of the Cretaceous period. In order to grind the food in the stomach, they swallowed stones.
Mamenchisaurus are herbivorous sauropods. Existed in the Upper Jurassic period on the territory of modern East Asia about 145 million years ago.
Mamenchisaurs had the longest neck, reaching a length of 15 m. All the vertebrae in the neck, and there were about 19 of them, were fastened by rows of ligaments, thanks to which the neck was strong and motionless.
The entire bony skeleton was strong and had little mass due to the cavities in each bone.
The body length of the Mamenchisaurus was 25 meters, the weight of the lizards could be from 60 to 120 tons.
Despite the gigantic body size, the head of dinosaurs was small. They moved on 4 legs and ate leaves and other vegetation.
Amphicoelias – ever existing on the planet. Belongs to the genus of herbivorous giants.
The body length was 40-65 m, body weight reached 160 tons.
Cervical vertebrae were extremely light and allowed the amphicelias to hold its neck suspended. The head was small, and the huge body was clumsy, which is why these dinosaurs became easy prey for predatory lizards.
Such large amphicelias had to eat a lot, but this also had negative consequences: they ate so many plants that after them many places became uninhabitable.
Amphicelias - the first open view herbivorous dinosaurs. The remains, or rather the only vertebral fragment found, were discovered in 1878 by archaeologist E. Kop.
Research by scientists has shown that Amphicelias is not only the largest dinosaur, but also the largest creature that has ever existed on the planet.