Discovery of dinosaur species larger than a Boeing 737

Scientists have discovered a dinosaur that weighed more than a Boeing 737 and was so large it "had no need to fear anything else," according to the British newspaper Telegraph.

Computer simulation of Dreadnoughtus schrani (Source: Telegraph)

Named after a popular early 20th-century warship, the Dreadnoughtus schrani was a herbivore and likely spent its entire life eating to fuel its massive frame. The name Dreadnoughtus means “fearless.”

The fossilized bones found show that this dinosaur was up to 26m long and weighed about 65 tons, that is equal to more than 7 Tyrannosaurus Rex or a dozen African elephants. Discovered in Argentina, these fossils are by far the most complete skeleton of the giant herbivore belonging to the 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 to 2009, numerous fossilized bones of this dinosaur were discovered in southern Patagonia, including a tail vertebra measuring more than 9 meters long, a neck bone, and a femur measuring more than 1.8 meters long, which is longer than the average height of an adult human.

There were also several flat shoulder bones, ribs, toe bones, toenails, a jaw fragment, 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 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 finding enough food to feed their massive bodies.

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

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