The discovery of the Argentinosaurus dinosaurs shook the world of paleontology. It existed during the late Cretaceous period, about 100 million to 93.5 million years ago. It’s considered to be one of the largest known dinosaurs to exist.
Key Facts
| Domain | Description |
|---|---|
| Argentinosaurus pronunciation | AHR-gen-TEEN-uh-SAWR-us |
| What does Argentinosaurus mean? | The name Argentinosaurus was coined from the country it was recovered from, which is Argentina and the suffix saurus is a Greek word that means lizard (Argentine Lizard). |
| Dinosaur type | Sauropod |
| On the menu | Herbivore |
| Length | 28.9 m to 36.5 m |
| Height | 22 m to 35 m |
| Weight | 70,000 kg to 110,000 kg |
| Life expectancy | Argentinosaurus is believed to have an estimated lifespan of up to 40 years. |
| Legs used to get around | Quadrupedal |
| Estimated top speed | Researchers assumed that this dinosaur had a top speed of 5 mph, which may leave collateral damage along its way. |
| When they lived | Unlike the other large dinosaurs, Argentinosaurus exited at least 50 million years after them. They lived during the late Cretaceous period, around 100 million to 93.5 million years ago. |
| Where they have been found? | Argentinosaurus used to settle along the plains of Argentina in South America. They are believed to live on land areas that were rich in vegetation and plant materials. |
When & Where
The Argentinosaurus was collected in the Rio Limay Formation in Argentina. It was discovered by Guillermo Heredia in 1987. All in all, there were 13 bone findings consisting of 6 mid-back vertebrae, one rib piece, one tibia, and five fragmentary hip vertebrae.
Size & Weight
The body length of the Argentinosaurus was considered to be around 95 ft to 120 ft, 22 m to 35 m tall and weighed about 70 000 kg to 110 000 kg.
Mobility & Diet
Argentinosaurus was considered to be a plant-eating dinosaur whose diet mainly consisted of different plant and tree materials. Though they’re the largest land animal, it is assumed that they are docile in nature. They don’t fight back against the threats and dangers of the carnivorous creatures,
Interesting Points
- The Argentinosaurus is one of the largest animals both living and extinct to ever walk on Earth.
- Paleontologists assume that Argentinosaurus takes 15 years to reach its adult size.
- It’s estimated that their eggs measure about a foot in diameter and females can lay up to 10-15 eggs at a time.
- Based on its bone fragments, it is assumed that these large Sauropods became extinct about 65 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period.
- A complete skeleton is not yet recovered, only the tibia, ribs and vertebrae along with the sacrum.
- The right hip bone recovered by Guillermo was about 61 inches long .
- At first, Guillermo thought that the leg he discovered was a large chunk of petrified wood.
- The length of Argentinosaurus is the same size as the width of an American football field.
- The scientific name Argentinosaurus huinculensis was given by Jose F. Bonaparte and Rodolfo Coria in 1993.