Discovery of dinosaur species larger than Boeing 737

According to the British Telegraph, scientists have discovered a dinosaur species that weighed more than a Boeing 737 and was so large that it "had no need to fear any other species".

Computer simulation of Dreadnoughtus schrani (Source: Telegraph)

Named after a popular early 20th century warship, the Dreadnoughtus schrani was a herbivore and apparently spent its entire life eating little more than food to fuel its massive body. The name Dreadnoughtus also means “fearless.”

The fossilized bones found show that this dinosaur was up to 26m long and weighed about 65 tons, which is equal to more than seven Tyrannosaurus Rex or a dozen African elephants. Discovered in Argentina, these fossils are by far the most complete skeleton of a giant herbivore belonging to a group of dinosaurs called Titanosaurs.

Although partial bones of larger relatives had been discovered before, the discovery of the Dreadnoughtus schrani fossil made it the largest land animal with an estimated body size.

"These fossils are the clearest evidence of giant creatures ever walking the Earth," said Dr. Kenneth Lacorvara of Drexel University in Philadelphia, who discovered the fossil. Tests on the 77-million-year-old fossil showed that the animal had not yet reached its maximum size when it died.

From 2005-2009, many fossil bones of this dinosaur were discovered in the southern Patagonia region, including a tail vertebrae longer than 9m, neck bones, and a femur longer than 1.8m, which is longer than the average height of an adult.

There were also several flat shoulder bones, ribs, toe bones, toenails, a jaw fragment, as well as forelimb and hind limb bones and a tooth. Another smaller fossil skeleton of the same species was also found at the same site, but was less complete.

The discovery of the femur and forelimb bones was crucial in helping scientists calculate the size of the Dreadnoughtus dinosaur.

"Titanosaurs are a unique group of dinosaurs, with species ranging in mass from that of a cow to that of a sperm whale or more. But the largest titanosaurs remain a mystery because in most cases their fossils are incomplete," said Dr Matthew Lamanna, another researcher.

Dinosaurs were heavier than planes. (Source: Telegraph)

For example, a Titanosaur dinosaur called Argentinosaurus may have been about the same size as Dreadnoughtus or larger, but this cannot be confirmed because scientists have only discovered about six fossilized vertebrae, a shin bone, and a few other bone fragments.

Speaking about the Dreadnoughtus dinosaur, Dr Lacorvara said they were "obsessed with eating" and spent their lives trying to find enough food to feed their massive bodies.

"I imagine these dinosaurs would stand in one place all day. With their 11m long necks balanced by their 9m long tails, they would find a pile of leaves and grass without moving. It would take them about an hour or more to eat all that nutritious grass, then take about three steps to the right and eat again."

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