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Last Re-Examined on 20th Oct 2001
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Its one of the ultimate questions - What was the largest creature ever to walk
the earth? The answer is certainly a dinosaur, and certainly a sauropod. Depending
on how accurate current estimates are, a sauropod might even be the largest creature
ever to have existed, perhaps beating the Blue Whale's record of 103 feet and
weight of +175 tons (although some say 110 feet).
Please understand that
for the reasons detailed, this is not an exact science! Argentinasaurus is probably
the biggest dinosaur truly known but there are possible challengers to the title,
however Bruhathkayosaurus might be vegetable and Supersaurus has gone to pieces!
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| Bruhathkayosaurus
?44
m 144 ft Titanosaur |
Using
the humerotibial ratio of Aegyptosaurus, we can estimate Bruhath-kayosaurus' humerus
was 2.34 meters long. This is 30% larger than estimatated for Argentinosaurus
(1.81 m) and 39% larger than Paralititan (1.69 m). Tibia length was 29% larger
than that of Argentinosaurus (1.55 m).
Based on the estimated mass Bruhathkayosaurus
may have weighed 175-220 tons. There is difficulty in establishing the identity
of the animal from what remains and Dinosauricon
goes as far as to suggest that there is no certainty that it is even animalian.
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Seismosaurus
?45 m 148
ft Diplodocid |
The
remains of this animal include vertebrae, partial pelvis, chevrons, ribs and indicate
it was one of the largest animals ever. Size estimates range from 40 to 50 metres.
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Supersaurus
?40 m
131 ft Diplodocid |
This
diplodocid is known from fragmentary remains: one cervical vertebra, several dorsals,
a few cordals and a scapulocoracoid. The cervical is 1.35m long and, compared
to 0.6m Diplodocus suggests Supersaurus's neck was 2.25 times as long.
The
Diplodocus has a six-meter neck, which suggests a neck of 13.5m for Supersaurus.
The whole animal was not 2.25 times as long as Diplodocus because the height of
its dorsal vertebrae is 1.5 times that of Diplodocus's, suggesting that the neck
of Supersaurus was disproportionately long for its body, with a weight in the
region of 40-50 tons.
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| Argentinasaurus
35 m
Titanosaur |
The
sacrum, vertebrae and tibia that we have indicate that it is a member of the titanosaur
family, and comparison with better-known titanosaur genera give us a good indication
of its scale, suggesting a total length of 35m or longer. Given the bulkiness
of titanosaurs, its likely weight was in the region of 80-100 tons.
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Paralititan
32 m 114
ft Titanosaur
| Its
1.69m humerus is smaller than that of Argentinosaurus, at 1.81m, suggesting that
if the animals were simialrly proportioned, it was 93% a long as Argentinosaurus
and suggesting a weight in the region of 65-80 tons.
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Argyrosaurus
- ?30 m -
Titanosaur | This
animal is estimated to be 45-55 tons. It is poorly known from a forelimb and some
other material. Its size estimes range from 20 to 40 m long.
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Diplodocus
27 m 92
ft  | Once
known as the longest dinosaur it has many times been overtaken. Now listed somewhere
in the lower reaches of the top 20 longest it is, however, one of the best-known
sauropods
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| Brachiosaurus
13 m high
43 ft high
 | The
original giant, it is one of the best-known huge sauropods. For a long time it
stood as the tallest known dinosaur.
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| Sauroposeidon
18 m high 59
ft
 | | Only
known from a series of four cervical vertebrae, features suggest that it was specialised
towards supporting a long neck, which suggests that the rest of its body may have
been proportionally somewhat smaller than in Brachiosaurus. Accordingly mass is
estimated in the region of 50-60 tons. | |
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