Dinosaurs are giants. The smallest carnivorous dinosaurs

Here's what: » The largest and smallest dinosaurs. Otherwise, you can get confused in this topic. It is advisable to consider sauropods and theropods (carnosaurs) separately. Well, if anyone else interesting comes along)"

Let's understand this issue of the long-standing history of our mother Earth.

But the task turns out to be not an easy one! Firstly, how to evaluate the largest dinosaur? By height? By weight? By length? And there are so many reservations that this or that type has not been particularly proven. And by the way, many discovered dinosaurs have almost the same estimated sizes. Well, okay, let me offer several versions on this topic, and then you decide for yourself who can be considered the largest or the smallest.

“Terrible lizard” is how the word “Dinosaur” is translated from ancient Greek. These land vertebrates inhabited the Earth during the Mesozoic era for more than 160 million years. The first dinosaurs appeared in the late Triassic period (251 million years ago - 199 million years ago), approximately 230 million years ago, and their extinction began at the end Cretaceous period(145 million years ago - 65 million years ago), about 65 million years ago.

The dinosaur remains, found back in 1877 in Colorado, are still considered to be the bones of the largest dinosaur - Amphicelia. Amphicelia(lat. Amphicoelias from Greek amphi"on both sides" and coelos"empty, concave") - a genus of herbivorous dinosaurs from the group of sauropods.

Paleontologist Edward Cope, who back in 1878 published an article on amphicelia, drew his conclusions from a single fragment of a vertebra (destroyed shortly after cleaning and not preserved to this day - only a drawing has survived), so the size and even the very existence of this dinosaur is in doubt. If Amphicelias is nevertheless described correctly, then its length, according to calculations, was from 40 to 62 meters, and weight - up to 155 tons . Then this seems to be not only the most large dinosaur for the entire time of their existence, but also the largest known animal. Amphicelias is almost twice as long as the blue whale and 10 meters longer than Seismosaurus, which is in second place. Then the maximum size of animals will be at the level of amphicelias - 62 m in length. However, it has been suggested that more massive dinosaurs existed (for example, Bruchatkaiosaurus, which lived in the Cretaceous period.

Bruhathkayosaurus (lat. Bruhathkayosaurus) is one of the largest sauropods. By different versions,weighed 180 or 220 tons (according to other hypotheses - 240 tons) . Apparently, Bruchatkaiosaurus is the heaviest animal that has ever lived (second place is 200-ton blue whale, on the third - 155-ton amphicelias). The genus includes the only species found in south india(Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu). Age - about 70 million years (Cretaceous period). There is no single estimate of the length of this dinosaur; different scientists determine its length from 28-34 meters to 40-44 meters.

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However, do not rush to believe the assumptions just yet. Due to the small number of bones, this has not yet been proven. Only scientists' guesses and a wide range of estimates. We will wait for new excavations - after all, we rely only on facts. And if you rely only on the facts, then this is what they say.

Although paleontologists claim they have found a larger Saurus, the size of Argentinosaurus is supported by compelling evidence. Argentinosaurus's vertebrae alone are over four feet thick! It had a hind limb length of about 4.5 m, and a length from shoulder to hip. 7 m. If we add to the obtained results the length of the neck and tail, corresponding to the proportions of previously known titanosaurs, then the total length of the Argentinosaurus will be 30 m. However, this does not make it the longest dinosaur. The longest is considered to be the Seismosaurus, whose length from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail is estimated at 40 m, and the mass is from 40 to 80 tons, but, according to all calculations, the Argentinosaurus is the heaviest. Its weight could reach 100 tons!

In addition, Argentinosaurus is undeniably . the largest lizard about which good paleontological material has been collected. This giant was dug up in 1980 by two paleontologists, Rodolfo Coria and Jose Bonaparte from the Natural History Museum in Buenos Aires. According to these researchers, Argentinosaurus belongs to the titanosaurs (a suborder of sauropods of the saurischian dinosaur order), which were widespread in the south of the American continent in the Cretaceous period.

Argentinosaurus bone

Comparing the found bones with the already known remains of sauropods, scientists calculated that the unearthed monster had a hind limb length of about 4.5 m, and a length from shoulder to hip. 7 m. If we add to the obtained results the length of the neck and tail, corresponding to the proportions of previously known titanosaurs, then the total length of the Argentinosaurus will be 30 m. This is not the most long dinosaur(the longest is considered to be the seismosaur, whose length from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail is estimated at 40 m, and the mass is from 40 to 80 tons), but, according to all calculations, the heaviest. Its weight could reach 100 tons.

Sauroposeidon ( Sauroposeidon ) named after Poseidon, the Greek god of the ocean. In size, it competed with Argentinosaurus, and perhaps could have surpassed it, but its weight was much less, according to paleontologists, it weighed no more than 65 tons, while Argentinosaurus could weigh up to one hundred tons. But, Sauroposeidon could be the tallest dinosaur that ever roamed the earth, and what is it, the tallest creature on the planet in general! Its height could reach almost 18-20 meters

His physique meant that he had to consume about a ton of vegetation every day, an almost endless task. To accomplish this feat, the dinosaur had 52 chisel-shaped teeth that cut down plants in one fell swoop. He didn’t even bother chewing his food, swallowing tasty vegetation, which immediately ended up in a 1-ton stomach the size of a swimming pool. Then his gastric juice, which had incredible power and could even dissolve iron, did the rest of the work. The dinosaur also ingested rocks, which helped it digest fiber.

It’s good that the dinosaur’s digestive system worked so well, because with a lifespan of 100 years (one of the longest in the dinosaur kingdom) and in the absence of such a metabolism, it would have aged very quickly.

We all discussed the so-called sauropods (sauropods), but which of the predators is the largest dinosaur?

You probably thought that Tyrannosaurus Rex would be in this category. However, it is now believed that Spinosaurus was the largest predatory dinosaur. Its mouth looked like the mouth of a crocodile, and the growth on its back resembled a huge sail. The sail made the appearance of this theropod even more majestic. The leathery “sail” reached a height of 2 meters. The predator itself was more than 17 meters long and weighed 4 tons. It walked on its hind limbs like other therapods. It could be over 20 feet tall. Read more about the dinosaur

Spinosaurus had a leathery “sail” stretched over the axial processes of the vertebrae, reaching a height of 2 meters. The predator itself was more than 17 meters long and weighed 4 tons. It walked on its hind limbs like other therapods.

Spinosaurus hunted alone, lying in wait for its prey. In doing so, he relied on his gigantic size and the strength of his jaws, elongated like a pliosaur and armed with sharp conical teeth. This predator fed mainly on large fish, but it could easily attack even a sauropod dinosaur of its own size. By sinking its teeth into the neck of the sauropod, the spinosaurus would bite the throat, which led to the rapid death of the victim. It could also attack crocodiles, pterosaurs and freshwater sharks.

In the middle of the day, Spinosaurus could turn its back to the sun. In this position, the “sail” was facing the direct rays of the sun with its edge and did not absorb heat, so the Spinosaurus, which, like all reptiles, was cold-blooded, avoided the risk of overheating. If he suddenly became too hot, he could dive into the nearest lake or river and dip his “sail” in the water to cool it down. Early morning temperatures, even in the warm climate of the Cretaceous period, were probably not as high as during the day. It is possible that at dawn the Spinosaurus was even chilly. Then he could stand so that the “sail” would fall onto the plane sun rays, as shown in the illustration. There is another theory according to which it is believed that the “sail” in mating season could serve as a means of attracting females.

Apparently, Spinosaurus was one of the most ferocious predators of the Late Cretaceous period. The length of its body from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail was about 15 m - more than the length of a modern bus. In the illustration you can see a row of spines on the spine, the longest of which reached 1.8 m. These spines served as the basis for the “sail” of Spinosaurus. The longest spines were located in the center; each spine in the middle was thinner than at the upper end. The massive body of the Spinosaurus was supported by two powerful column-like legs, and its feet ended in three sharp claws. In addition, there was an additional weak toe on each foot. The huge claws on the feet of the Spinosaurus could have been useful for holding down prey trying to escape. The upper limbs of Spinosaurus were short, but also very strong. The skull structure of Spinosaurus was similar to that of other carnivorous dinosaurs; his characteristic feature there were straight teeth, sharp as meat knives, which could easily pierce even the thickest skin. The tail of the Spinosaurus was long, wide and very strong. Scientists suggest that in some cases, Spinosaurus could knock down prey by striking it with a series of powerful blows with its tail.

Here are some other predators that can be mentioned that could compete with the largest dinosaur. And again this is not a Tyrannosaurus rex :-)

Tarbosaurus, a genus of extinct giant predatory dinosaurs (superfamily Carnosaurus). Large terrestrial predators - body length is usually over 10 m, height in a bipedal pose is about 3.5 m. The skull is huge (more than 1 m), massive, powerful dagger-shaped teeth, designed for attacking very large animals (mainly herbivorous dinosaurs). The forelimbs of T. are reduced and have only 2 full fingers, the hind limbs are highly developed, forming, together with the powerful tail, a supporting tripod for the body. Skeletons of T. were found in the Upper Cretaceous deposits of the South Gobi (MPR).

Lit.: Maleev E. A., Giant carnosaurs of the family Tyrannosauridae, in the book: Fauna and biostratigraphy of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Mongolia, M., 1974, p. 132-91

The Asian Tarbosaurus (Tarbosaurus bataar) was a close relative of the North American carnivorous dinosaurs of the late Cretaceous period. Tarbosaurus is a robber lizard. From the tip of the muzzle to the tip of the tail - about ten meters. The largest of them is more than 14 m long and 6 m high. Head size - more than a meter in length. The teeth were sharp, dagger-shaped. All this allowed the Tarbosaurus to cope even with those opponents whose bodies were protected by bone armor.

With its height and appearance, it strongly resembled tyrannosaurs. It also walked on strong hind legs, using its tail to maintain balance. The forelimbs were greatly reduced, two-fingered, and apparently served only for holding food.

Among the first dinosaur finds in England was a fragment of a lower jaw with several teeth. Apparently, it belonged to a huge predatory lizard, which was later dubbed

Megalosaurus (giant lizard). Since no other parts of the body could be found, it was impossible to get an accurate idea of ​​the body shape and size of the animal. It was believed that the lizard walked on four legs. Over the years, many other fossilized remains have been excavated, but a complete skeleton has never been discovered. Only after making a comparison with other predatory dinosaurs (carnosaurs), the researchers came to the conclusion that Megalosaurus also ran on its hind legs, its length reached 9 meters and it weighed a ton. It was possible to reconstruct the Allosaurus (another lizard) with greater accuracy. More than 60 of his skeletons have been found in America. different sizes. The largest allosaurs reached a length of 11-12 meters and weighed from 1 to 2 tons. Their prey, of course, included giant herbivorous dinosaurs, which is confirmed by the found piece of an Apatosaurus tail with deep bite marks and knocked out Allosaurus teeth.

Even larger, in all likelihood, were two species that lived 80 million years later in the Cretaceous period, namely the tyrannosaurus (tyrant lizard) from North America and the tarbosaurus (terrifying lizard) from Mongolia. Although the skeletons are not completely preserved (most often the tail is missing), it is assumed that their length reached 14-15 meters, height 6 meters, and body weight reached 5-6 tons. The heads were also impressive: the Tarbosaurus skull was 1.45 meters long, and the largest Tyrannosaurus skull was 1.37 meters long. The dagger-shaped teeth, protruding 15 cm, were so powerful that they could hold an actively resisting animal. But it is still unknown whether these giants could really pursue prey or were too massive for this. Perhaps they ate carrion or the remains of their prey for more than small predators, which it was not difficult for them to drive away. The dinosaur's forelimbs were surprisingly short and weak, with only two fingers. And a huge finger with a claw 80 cm long was discovered in a Tercinosaurus (sickle-shaped lizard). But whether this finger was the only one and what size the entire animal reached is unknown. The 12-meter Spinosaurus (spiny lizard) also looked impressive. Along his back, his skin was stretched in the form of a sail 1.8 meters high. Perhaps this served him to scare away rivals and competitors, or perhaps it served as a heat exchanger between the body and the environment.

Who was the giant "terrible hand"? Until now, we are not able to imagine what a giant predatory dinosaur looked like, from which, unfortunately, only the bones of the front and hind limbs have been found during excavations in Mongolia. But the length of the forelimbs alone was two and a half meters, that is, approximately equal to the length of the entire Deinonychus or four times the length of its forelimbs. Each hand had three huge claws, with which it was possible to stab and tear even very large prey. Amazed by this discovery, Polish researchers gave this dinosaur the name Deinocheirus, which means “terrible hand.”

If we take for comparison the size of the ostrich dinosaur, which has a similar structure of the forelimbs, but is four times smaller in length, then we can assume that Deinocheirus was one and a half times larger than the tyrannosaurus! Dinosaur lovers and researchers around the world are eagerly awaiting new discoveries of bones and clarification of the mystery of the giant “terrible hand.”

Tarbosaurs, the remains of which were found in the southern part of the Gobi Desert, are large carnivorous dinosaurs. The total length of their body reached 10 and height - 3.5 meters. They hunted large herbivorous dinosaurs. Tarbosaurs were distinguished by the impressive size of the skull - in adult individuals it exceeded 1 meter.

According to experts, the dinosaur, whose skull the detained man wanted to sell, lived on our planet 50-60 million years ago.

Every year, Mongolian paleontologists and international expeditions find more and more remains of tarbosaurs in the South Gobi.

Since the early 1990s, such unique exhibits began to actively fall into private hands. According to Mongolian law enforcement agencies, a network of smugglers engaged in such fishing operates illegally. For recent years Customs officers and police stopped several attempts to export fossilized remains of eggs and parts of dinosaur skeletons abroad.

So, which of the record holders do we have in the rank of sea dinosaurs?

The crown of weight and size in the pliosaur family belongs to Lioplevodon. It had four powerful flippers (up to 3 m long) and a short, laterally compressed tail. The teeth are huge, up to 30 cm long (possibly up to 47 cm!), round in cross section. It reached a length of 15 to 18 meters. The length of these reptiles reached 15 meters. Liopleurodons ate large fish, ammonites, and also attacked other marine reptiles. They were the dominant predators of the Late Jurassic seas. Read more about the dinosaur

Described by G. Savage in 1873 from a single tooth from the Late Jurassic layers of the Boulogne-sur-Mer region (Northern France). The skeleton was discovered in late XIX century in Peterborough, England. At one time, the genus Liopleurodon was combined with the genus Pliosaurus. Liopleurodon has a shorter lower jaw symphysis and fewer teeth than Pliosaurus. Both genera form the family Pliosauridae.

Liopleurodon ferox is the type species. The total length reached 25 meters. The length of the skull is 4 meters. Lived in bodies of water northern europe(England, France) and South America (Mexico). Liopleurodon pachydeirus (Callovey of Europe), distinguished by the shape of the cervical vertebrae. Liopleurodon rossicus (aka Pliosaurus rossicus). Described from an almost complete skull from the Late Jurassic (Tithonian era) of the Volga region. The length of the skull is about 1 - 1.2 m. A fragment of the rostrum of a giant pliosaur from the same deposits may belong to the same species. In this case, the Russian Liopleurodon was not inferior European species. The remains are on display at the Paleontological Museum in Moscow. Liopleurodon macromerus (aka Pliosaurus macromerus, Stretosaurus macromerus). Kimmeridge - Tithonium of Europe and South America. A very large species, the length of the skull reached 3 meters, the total length should be from 15 to 20 meters.

Liopleurodon was a typical pliosaur - with a large narrow head (at least 1/4 - 1/5 of the total length), four powerful flippers (up to 3 m long) and a short, laterally compressed tail. The teeth are huge, up to 30 cm long (possibly up to 47 cm!), round in cross section. At the tips of the jaws, the teeth form a kind of “rosette”. The external nostrils were not used for breathing - when swimming, water entered the internal nostrils (located in front of the external ones) and exited through the external nostrils. The flow of water passed through Jacobson's organ and thus Liopleurodon “sniffed” the water. This creature breathed through its mouth when it surfaced. Liopleurodons could dive deeply and for a long time. They swam with the help of huge flippers, which they flapped like birds' wings. Liopleurodons had good protection - they had strong bone plates under their skin. Like all pliosaurs, Liopleurodons were viviparous.

In 2003, remains of the species Liopleurodon ferox were discovered in Late Jurassic marine sediments in Mexico. It reached a length of 15 to 18 meters. It was a young individual. Its bones bore the teeth marks of another Liopleurodon. Judging by these injuries, the attacker could have been more than 20 meters in length, as his teeth were 7 cm in diameter and more than 40 cm in length. In 2007, the remains of very large pliosaurs of an unknown species were discovered in the Jurassic sediments of the polar archipelago of Spitsbergen. The length of these reptiles reached 15 meters. Liopleurodons ate large fish, ammonites, and also attacked other marine reptiles. They were the dominant predators of the Late Jurassic seas.

Well, that’s probably all with the biggest ones, choose which one you like best for the pedestal :-) And now about the smallest ones...

In 2008, Scientists discovered the skull of one of the smallest dinosaurs that lived on Earth. This find may help answer the question of why some dinosaurs once became herbivores.

The skull, less than 2 inches long, belonged to a baby Heterodontosaurus that lived about 190 million years ago and measured 6 inches tall and 18 inches from the head. to the tip of the tail.

But in to a greater extent It was not the size of the animal that intrigued scientists, but its teeth. Experts are divided on whether the heterodontosaurus ate meat or plants. The mini-dinosaur, whose weight, according to The Telegraph, is comparable to mobile phone, there are both front fangs and teeth typical for herbivores for grinding plant food. There was an assumption that adult males had fangs, who used them to fight competitors for territory, but the presence of them in the cub disproved this theory. Most likely, such fangs were required for protection from predators.

Now the scientists who discovered the animal have a theory that the heterodontosaurus was in the process of an evolutionary transition from a carnivore to a herbivore. It was probably an omnivore, eating mainly plants, but varied its diet with insects, small mammals or reptiles.

Laura Porro, a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago (USA), suggested that all dinosaurs were originally carnivores: “Because Heterodontosaurus is one of the earliest dinosaurs to adapt to plants, it may represent a phase of transition from carnivorous ancestors to fully herbivorous descendants. Its skull indicates that all dinosaurs of this species survived such a transition."

Fossils of Heterodontosaurus are incredibly rare, with only two known records from South Africa of adult specimens until now.

Laura Porro found part of a fossilized baby skull with two adult fossils during excavations in Cape Town in the 60s. Dr Richard Butler, a specialist at the Natural History Museum in London, described the find as extremely important as it provides insight into how the animal changed as it grew. Interestingly, most reptiles change their teeth throughout their lives, while Heterodontosaurus only did this during maturation, like mammals.

Another small one:

But in 2011, the discovery of a new fossil could indicate the existence of the world's smallest species of all known dinosaurs. The feathered bird-like creature, which lived more than 100 million years ago, measured no more than 15.7 inches (40 centimeters) in length.

The fossil, a small neck bone discovered in southern Britain, measured just a quarter of an inch (7.1 millimeters) in length. It belonged to an adult dinosaur that lived during the Cretaceous period 145-100 million years ago, University of Portsmouth paleozoologist Darren Naish reports in the current issue of the journal Cretaceous Research.

The discovery should place another bird-like dinosaur, so far named Anchiornis, among the world's smallest dinosaurs, which lived in what is now China 160-155 million years ago. The newly found bone belongs to a member of the maniraptoran, a group of theropod dinosaurs believed to be the ancient ancestors of modern birds.

Having a fossil with only one vertebra, it is difficult to guess exactly what it ate. small dinosaur or even how big he actually was.

The vertebra lacks a neurocentral suture, a rough, open line of bone that does not close until the dinosaur is an adult, Naish and his University of Portsmouth colleague Steven Sweetmen reported. This means that the dinosaur died as an adult animal.

But calculating the estimated length of a dinosaur from one bone was a rather tricky task. The researchers used two methods to determine how big maniraptoran was. The first method involved building a digital model of the dinosaur's neck, and then scientists superimposed that neck onto the silhouette of a typical maniraptoran.

The technique is more art than science, Naish wrote on his blog, Tetrapod Zoology, predicting that it was bound to infuriate some researchers. A little more mathematical method, used to calculate the neck and torso ratios of other related dinosaurs, was applied to determine the new length of maniraptoran. Both methods resulted in the following figures - about 13-15.7 inches (33-50 centimeters), Naish noted.

The new dinosaur does not yet have official name and dubbed the Ashdown maniraptorian after the area where it was discovered. If Ashdown dino turns out to be the smallest dinosaur on record, it will break the record for the smallest already famous dinosaur North America about 6 inches (15 cm) in size. This dinosaur, Hesperonychus elizabethae, was a velociraptor predator with a hideous, twisted toe claw. He was about a foot and a half (50 cm) tall and weighed about 4 pounds (2 kilograms).

In the 1970s In the Upper Triassic sediments of Newfoundland (Canada), a small footprint was discovered left by someone, no larger in size than a thrush. The structure of the fingers is typical of carnivorous dinosaurs of that time. This print belongs to the smallest dinosaur ever found on Earth. However, it is still not known what age the individual that left the mark could have been - an adult or a cub.

sources

http://dinopedia.ru/

http://dinosaurs.afly.ru/

http://dinohistory.ru/

http://www.zooeco.com/

And you and I, let’s remember one of the versions, and also remember who he is Well, a question that indirectly relates to our topic today - The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -

The largest dinosaurs are a group of animals that dominated the Earth during the period Mesozoic era. We are talking about predators, carnivores, aquatic animals that had amazing dimensions. Their size to this day is a passion for planetary scientists and researchers who regularly present new information regarding the weight, height and other features of the superorder of vertebrates, terrestrial and other types of dinosaurs. Let's look at the rating of the most big dinosaurs who lived 225 million years ago. Please note that we have selected the top 5 largest animals that lived on our planet among 1000 known species.

5 largest dinosaurs in the world

13-18 meters

The largest land predatory dinosaur that 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 on 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. So the biggest carnivorous dinosaur not a 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 small quantity the remains of the creature - 3 teeth 7 centimeters each. Later it turned out that the paleontologist managed to find the remains of the largest sea ​​dinosaur– Liopleurodon. It is known that the reptile also lived in the territory of present-day Germany and England. 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 the maximum length of 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 include 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. Before 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 most big dinosaur in the world! Share your comments, and don't forget to stay tuned for new materials!

10

• Weight: 250 kg
• Body length: 7 m

Quetzalcoatlus- the largest representative of the pterosaur order known today. The Mesozoic plane lizard continues to excite the minds of contemporaries. In its winged splendor it blends amazingly with the local dinosaurs. Along with the Romanian Hatzegopteryx, it is currently the largest known pterosaur.

Quetzalcoatli existed at the end of the Cretaceous period, about 69 - 66 million years ago (end of the Maastrichtian stage). They were distributed throughout the United States of America, in the state of Texas. It should also be noted that a fragment possibly belonging to the "feathered serpent" was discovered in Montana.

9

• Weight: 8 – 14 t
• Body length: 11 – 15 m

Sarcosuchus- an extinct genus of giant crocodylomorphs, contrary to popular belief, not belonging to the order of crocodiles. It ate aquatic animals, such as fish, and various dinosaurs.

Lived on the territory modern Africa at the beginning of the Cretaceous period and is one of the largest giant crocodile-like reptiles that ever lived on our planet.

8

• Weight: 9 – 12 t
• Body length: 15 – 18 m

Spinosaurus- a representative of the spinosauridae family, which lived on the territory of modern North Africa in the Cretaceous period (112-93.5 million years ago). This type of dinosaur was first described from remains found in Egypt by the German paleontologist Ernst Stromer in 1915, who brought the skeleton to Munich.

Aquatic and terrestrial habitats. It is easily recognizable due to its bone “sail” on its back and its skull, which, like a crocodile, is extended forward. It has the longest skull of any existing carnivorous saur (up to 1.98 m in length).

7

• Weight: 15 – 20 t
• Body length: 15 – 17 m

Shantungosaurus is a genus of hadrosaurs of the subfamily Saurolophinae, found in the Late Cretaceous geological group in Shandong Province in China.

Shantungosaurus is one of the largest representatives of ornithischian dinosaurs. Like other hadrosaurs, the animal's beak was toothless, but its jaws bore about 1,500 tiny chewing teeth. The large hole near the nostrils may have been closed by a membrane that the lizard inflated to make sounds.

6

• Weight: 30 – 40 t
• Body length: 12 – 14 m

Shonisaurus- the largest creature of the Late Triassic era, the largest known to science ichthyosaur. Fossils of Shonisaurus were first found in 1920 in Nevada.

All skeletons belong to adults or relatively adult individuals. It was initially believed that a herd of shonisaurs washed ashore and died there. It is now assumed that all individuals were buried in relatively deep shelf waters. All skeletons are oriented in the same direction (from south to north), which reflects the direction of the currents.

5

• Weight: 25 – 45 t
• Body length: 15 – 20 m

Liopleurodon- a genus of pliosaurs from the Middle Jurassic period. It is a relative of pliosaurs and was practically no different from them, but it is considered one of the most large predators who ever lived on planet Earth.

Habitat: present-day Central America and Europe. They ate small fish, sharks, varieties of octopus and even some aquatic dinosaurs, such as the family of ichthyosaurs and small elasmosaurs. He hunted and lived alone.

4

• Weight: 60 t
• Body length: 34 m

Sauroposeidon- a genus of giant sauropods that lived in the mid-Cretaceous period (125 - 100 million years ago). In 1994, in the state of Oklahoma (USA), unusual fossils were found in a prison yard, which turned out to be the vertebrae of a previously unknown lizard (the vertebrae found were initially mistaken for the trunk of a giant tree).

The female laid about a hundred eggs, after hatching the cub was in many dangers: it had no means of protection other than its size. The young individuals lived alone in the forest; they ate around the clock to grow. As a rule, mature age reached 3-4 sauroposeidons, after which they entered herds of adult animals.

3

• Weight: 60 – 108 t
• Body length: 22 – 35 m

Argentinosaurus- one of the largest dinosaurs that ever lived in South America. The fossils were discovered in Argentina by local paleontologists José Fernando Bonaparte and Rodolfo Coria and described as new look Argentinosaurus huinculensis in 1993.

The Argentinosaurus moved on four powerful limbs, and, unlike diplodocids, the front legs were practically as long as the hind legs. IN documentaries Argentinosaurs are often shown easily and naturally standing on two legs, but given the estimated size of the front legs and the general volume of the frontal part of the body, this is extremely unlikely.

2

• Weight: 60 – 120 t
• Body length: 25 m

Mamenchisaurus- a genus of herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs from the family Mamenchisauridae, which lived in the Upper Jurassic era (Malmian) on the territory of modern East Asia. It is the dinosaur with the longest neck, which, according to some sources, reached 15 meters in length.

Such a long neck, similar to a crane, helped Mamenchisaurus get leaves from large trees that were inaccessible to other herbivorous relatives. All the vertebrae in the neck were fastened together by rows of strong ligaments, thanks to which the neck was very strong and motionless. The bony skeleton was very strong and had a low mass, thanks to the cavities in each bone.

1

• Weight: 160 t
• Body length: 40 – 62 m

Amphicoelia (Amphicoelias)- the largest dinosaur on our planet, belonging to the genus of herbivorous giants. This type of dinosaur was first described in 1870, helped in this only by a single fragment of vertebral remains found. From this piece, scientists were able to conclude that the amphicelia reached a length of 62 m and weighed more than 160 tons.

Thus, Amphicelia is not only the largest representative of giant dinosaurs, but also, in general, the largest creature that has ever existed on the planet.

Recently, scientists found the remains of the largest creature that has ever walked on our planet. They were discovered by accident - an Argentine farmer came across dinosaur fossils in the desert. And he addressed the news of the find to the Paleontological University of Buenos Aires. Further excavations were carried out by paleontologists José Luis Carballido and Diego Paul.

Not afraid of anyone

According to rough estimates, Dreadnoughtus schrani, which is the name of the largest dinosaur, lived about one hundred million years ago. In size it is ahead of itself big predator- Spinosaurus, and the largest sauropod - Argentinosaurus. Its size can be judged by its gigantic femurs - presumably, Dreadnoughtus schrani was 20 meters tall and 40 meters long. The weight of the dinosaur is comparable to the weight of 14 elephants combined, and this is neither more nor less - 77 tons.

Paleontologists agree that this “newcomer” belongs to the titanosaurs, distinctive features which are a long neck, and the same tail, and a small head. In the area where the remains of the dinosaur were found, millions of years ago there was a forest of trees 15 meters high. It was these trees that served as a source of food for animals.

During the excavations, scientists found the bones of almost the entire skeleton - the torso, tail, part of the neck, and all the limbs. We even managed to find a dinosaur tooth. All these finds make it possible to recreate the appearance of the largest dinosaur. In total, about 70% of the skeleton was found, which in itself is a rare success; usually no more than a third of all the bones of the skeleton can be found.

Scientists believe that the reason for their luck was several floods that occurred one after another. As a result of this natural disaster The dreadnought was buried quickly and entirely, where it has been preserved to this day. Jason Poole, a member of the excavation team, shared his delight at the fact that one after another the bones continued to be found.

Looking at this creation of nature, scientists were puzzled by the question - how could Dreadnoughtus schrani walk on such thin legs? Let's leave paleontologists to solve this mystery, especially since the dinosaur skeleton threw up another interesting detail. It turned out that, despite its impressive size, the largest dinosaur continued to grow until last day life. Therefore, Dreadnoughtus schrani did not die of old age.

While scientists argue about size, walking methods, feeding methods, place in the ecosystem and try to create a three-dimensional model of an animal that lived millions of years before us, let's remember the dinosaurs mentioned above.

Argentinosaurus

This herbivorous dinosaur lived in the south of modern America. He walked on four legs, had a long neck and the same tail. They usually lived in small herds of up to 20 individuals. This made it possible to protect themselves from attacks by predators.

New individuals of Argentinosaurs hatched from eggs. They had a small head and an underdeveloped jaw. Days were spent eating tree leaves. Most likely, in order to digest food better, Argentinosaurs were forced to swallow stones.

Sedentary dinosaurs had a tail endowed with deadly power. One blow and the enemy is literally broken in half. Just look at his skeleton!

Spinosaurus

The largest predator currently known to have ever lived on our planet. The dinosaur got its name because of the dorsal spine, formed from high vertebral processes - in appearance it resembles a sail. Presumably, the largest dinosaur among predators was an excellent swimmer, and at the same time, was lazy - this lizard most likely spent most of its time lying on its side on the shore of a reservoir. The huge body required the same amount of energy.

He ate mainly fish, and did not disdain turtles, mollusks and amphibians. It was unlikely to be a worthy competitor to comparable dinosaurs - it lacked the necessary arsenal and skills, and for crocodiles it should have been dangerous.

He lived more than a hundred million years ago in northern Africa, where Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco are now located.

Where did the dinosaurs go?

Scientists have still not come to a consensus on the question of where the dinosaurs went. Some argue that dinosaurs did not become extinct, but evolved into birds; others blame the death of dinosaurs on harmless butterflies, which, due to their large numbers, left the dinosaurs to starve to death.

But the most popular version is the death of dinosaurs from the great activity of ancient volcanoes. During eruptions, volcanoes released enormous amounts of ash into the atmosphere, and this, in turn, led to climate change. The Yucatan meteorite that arrived on our planet put an end to the life of dinosaurs on Earth.

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 are 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 its body structure 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 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.

It is considered the largest representative of 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.”

A giant representative of 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, preferring large 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 dimensions: 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”.

Futalognokosaurs lived in the Upper Cretaceous period - 94-85 million years ago - on 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. They 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.

The cervical vertebrae were extremely light and allowed the amphicelias to support its neck. 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 even this 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.