List of carnivorous dinosaurs. The largest dinosaurs

During the Cretaceous period, the dinosaurs of South America became known to science reasons increasingly larger and more ferocious than their counterparts in other parts globe. Giganotosaurus is an eight to ten ton, three-toed predator. By the way, its remains were discovered in close proximity to the remains of Argentinosaurus, one of the largest dinosaurs in the world... The inevitable conclusion is that Giganotosaurus was one of the few theropods capable of destroying Argentinosaurus! . For more on this scenario, see Giganotosaurus vs. Argentinosaurus – Who Wins?

Utahraptor

Utahraptor was one of the most dangerous predators in the Cretaceous period. Its adults weighed almost a ton. Utahraptors are characterized by the following features: single curved claws, similar in appearance

on a medieval sword and a Swiss army knife. Ironically, this giant-sized predator lived 50 million years before its more famous descendants, who were much smaller but much faster.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

We will never know if Tyrannosaurus Rex was stronger than giants like Albertosaurus or Alioramus. Did he hunt live prey or spend most of his time looking for carrion. In any case, there is no doubt that the T. Rex was simply the perfect killing machine when the circumstances called for it, given its weight of 5 to 8 tons, keen eyesight and huge head covered with numerous sharp teeth. True, his tiny paws - hands, from a human point of view, gave this dinosaur king a slightly comical appearance.

Spinosaurus

Spinosaurus had the same weight class as Giganotosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Rex. The North African Spinosaurus had the added evolutionary advantage of being the world's first identified dinosaur that could swim. This ten-ton predator spent its days near deep-sea rivers and ponds, snatching fish with massive crocodile-like jaws and occasionally diving like a shark to hunt small dinosaurs.

Majungasaurus

Majungasaurus, once known as Majungatol, was called a cannibal dinosaur by the press. The discovery of ancient Majungasaurus bones, which show bite marks from the teeth of Majungasaurs, is good evidence that these monotonous theropods hunted their relatives (of course, when they were very hungry, or perhaps they ate their already dead relatives). These predators were greatly feared by the smaller dinosaurs of their range.

Ankylosaurus

The armored dinosaur Ankylosaurus was a genetic relative of Stegosaurus. These dinosaurs defended their enemies equally. The Stegosaurus had a spiked sledgehammer at the end of its tail, the Ankylosaurus was equipped with a massive 45-kilogram tail hammer, in appearance reminiscent of a medieval mace. Purposefully swinging such a mace could easily break the back leg of a hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex or even tear apart the jaws of an enemy. True, there is an assumption that the ankylosaur could also use its tail during intraspecific combat during the mating season.

Allosaurus

Allosaurus was a more brutal predator than the much later Tyrannosaurus Rex. Numerous specimens of this ferocious, powerful, three-ton meat eater have been discovered in the western United States. Yes, he was deadly, but not very smart.

Diplodocus

The fact is that this 30-meter huge sauropod had one thing for protection - a seven-meter thin tail, which, according to some paleontologists, it could use like a whip when striking, and the impact speed was supersonic. Apparently, thanks to this technique, Diplodocus kept such a predator as Allosaurus at bay. Of course, Diplodocus (not to mention Brasiosaurus and Apatosaurus) could simply trample the enemy with its huge, flat hind legs. By the way, filmmakers prefer to show a brighter “tail catcher” in their scripts than simple trampling.

Troodon

The feathered dinosaur Troodon weighed only about 68 kg, about the same as an adult human weighs. It is interesting to know that this predator did not have particularly sharp and terrible teeth. This theropod was distinguished by its relatively large brain, at least compared to other carnivorous dinosaurs of the Late Cretaceous of North America. There is an assumption that Troodon hunted in packs together with its relatives at night (its big eyes saw perfectly in the dark). Troodonts could easily compete in their bloodthirstiness with T. Rex itself!

These giants dominated our planet for more than 160 million years, but at the end of the Cretaceous period they completely disappeared as a species. Scientists are still finding remains of dinosaurs that completely disappeared as a species about 66 million years ago. And even now their size is amazing!

In total, paleontologists count more than 1,000 species of dinosaurs, but only ten of them can be distinguished by a special feature. They do not have outstanding sizes, are not bloodthirsty, but are simply very strange.

10 Amargasaurus

This species was first described in 1991, after José Bonaparte discovered remains in the La Amarga quarry. Distinctive feature This dinosaur has two rows of spines on the neck and back, approximately 65 centimeters long. Amargasaurus has no other outstanding qualities.

Scientists are still arguing why there were spikes on the back of this lizard. This design significantly reduced the dinosaur's mobility, so protection from predators was in doubt. We can definitely say that the male Amagasaurus had longer spines, which means it used them for mating games.

9 Concavenator

This carnivorous dinosaur was first discovered in 2003, and scientists are still debating its strange skeleton. The concavenator had a small body about 6 meters long and a strange feature - a hump between the 11th and 12th vertebrae of the skeleton.

The hump did not serve any useful function, just like the bumps in the bones of the concavenator’s forearms. But paleontologists were able to take a fresh look at the theory of the relationship between birds and dinosaurs, because before this, feather rudiments had not been observed in any relative of this dinosaur.

8 Kosmoceratops

Another strange representative of this species belongs to the horned dinosaurs. Perhaps this is where all its advantages end. The name Kosmoceratops does not come from the word cosmos, but means ornate in ancient Greek.

And it is really, very richly decorated! Kosmoceratops had 15 horns, and in terms of their number, it is the most equipped dinosaur. True, there was no point in them, except that the beautiful horns came in handy during mating games.

7 Kulindadromeus transbaikalensis

This miracle animal, as the name implies, was discovered in Russia, in the Kulinda Valley in 2010. Since then, the minds of scientists have not stopped digesting information, because Culindadronius has violated all conceivable theories about dinosaurs.

It belongs to the group of ornithischian dinosaurs, but does not have wings (or their rudiments). All previously found representatives of this group did not even have feather rudiments, which caused discussions in the scientific world. So far, it has been established that feathers were used by this dinosaur to maintain warmth and for mating games.

6 Notronichus

This wonderful dinosaur belongs to the genus of therapods (predators), but is a herbivore. His remains were discovered in 1998 on a ranch in New Mexico. It had a rather impressive weight - 5.1 tons and a height of about 5 meters.

Now imagine a giant sloth standing on the ground. This is exactly what this dinosaur looked like, which greatly surprised paleontologists. Its huge claws were a completely unnecessary adaptation, given its herbivory. Nootronichus was very, very slow because of the claws...

5 Oryctodrome

This ornithischian dinosaur had a very unusual property for its species. Small, only 2.1 meters long and weighing 22 kg, it looked like a modern mole or rabbit.

Yes, oryctodrome dug holes and hid in them from predators. It looks like a pretty cute wombat, only many times larger. The spectacle was obviously funny - a dinosaur that lives in a hole and digs the ground with its claws!

4 Ganzhousaurus

This species was discovered in the province of the same name in China in 2013. Scientifically it is called Qianzhousaurus, and in everyday life it is called “Pinocchio dinosaur”. In practice, he is a tyrannosaurus, only slightly modified.

The fact is that the Ganzhousaurus has a very long jaw, the structure of which defies explanation. Their cousins, tyrannosaurs, have a very massive skull that could withstand powerful blows. Why would a Pinocchio dinosaur, with the same body structure, have a long jaw that cannot withstand the load is a real mystery.

3 Rhinorex

This species belongs to the genus of herbivorous hadrosaurids, but differs from them in one feature in the structure of the skull. Rhinorex simply has a huge nasal plate that defies any explanation.

The purpose of this dinosaur's nose has been debated by scientists for many years. Like his relatives, he did not have a special sense of smell, so such a growth on the nose is meaningless from the point of view of convenience. The duck-billed dinosaur is still being studied and researched by paleontologists.

2 Stygomoloch

Oh, his name already inspires fear - translated it is “horned demon from the river of hell.” This herbivorous dinosaur had a domed skull with horns located at the back.

The name stygimoloch comes from mythology - Moloch (a Semitic deity) and Styx (a nymph in Hades). Scientists are still arguing why he needed such a strange skull and came to the conclusion that it was again mating games. Stygomoloch fought his opponents with the help of his convex forehead and horns.

1 Yutyrannus

This type of dinosaur was related to the Tyrannosaurus rex, although the difference is immediately visible. It was covered with short, chicken-like feathers, about 15 centimeters long. He was a predator, although at first glance he did not look at all intimidating in these feathers.

Moreover, it weighed quite a lot, about two tons. Findings of such dinosaurs increasingly lead scientists to believe that all representatives of this species first had feathers, and then lost them during evolution.

Humanity is lucky that these powerful creatures became extinct many millions of years ago. Even the strangest and most absurd of them could destroy a person with one blow.

The hero of many frightening films, the sinister and carnivorous pteranodon, in real life(just like pterodactyls and rhamforins) ate mainly fish, paying little attention to people. True, it should be taken into account that there were no people then. If he lived in our time, he would pose a considerable danger, since with a 15-meter wingspan and a weighty beak, he can kill purely by accident, with one sneeze, while trying to take a can of delicious sprats from a person.

It is similar to a Tyrannosaurus rex and is often replaced in many films when the Tyrannosaurus is unavailable or sick (for example, in the film "A Sound of Thunder"). It is believed to have reached 8 and a half meters in length and 3 and a half meters in height. Scientists are debating whether Allosaurus was a collective animal or lived separately, outside the pack. There are two arguments here: on the one hand, allosaurus bones are found in bulk from many individuals. On the other hand, the creature was too aggressive to live together in a large society. However, to devour a person, even one Allosaurus, even the most recent outcast loser, is enough.

Known to science for a long time, since the nineteenth century. It weighed one and a half tons and was nine meters long. He ate other smaller lizards. There was something akin to a horn on the head, so Majungasaurus worked not only with its teeth, but also with its head. It is believed that he had poor vision, but had a strong sense of smell. So in modern times it could be used to find drugs and eat drug lords.

It is not clear why this creature was called Sarcosuchus. They would immediately call it “a huge crocodile”, and it would immediately be clear who they were talking about. The great-great-great-grandfather of the crocodile Gena grew up to 12 meters and fattened up to 6 tons. It is twice the size of any modern crocodile; if a sarcosuchus crosses the road, this is a very, very bad omen.

A four-ton predator 12 meters long. Scientists on the sidelines say that a more massive species of carchadontosaurs could live in Nigeria - 14 meters long and weighing 9 tons. He was a lone hunter, and he was probably pretty good at it. Most likely, he simply died out of boredom when he realized that he had already achieved everything in this life.

A true showbiz superstar, old T. rex is no longer considered the largest fossil land predator. They still make films about it, write books and tell stories, since it was the tyrannosaurus in the old school programs portrayed as the main embodiment of evil. And yet paleontology does not stand still!

However, if the T. rex saw you, it wouldn’t stand still either - its pumped up hind legs carried a two-ton mass at breakneck speed, and its jaws could bite through the body armor of most herbivorous lizards. What can we say about you? You won’t even hear him approaching in your headphones.

A seven-meter mobile school predator. The brain cavity in the cranium is closer in volume to birds than to other predatory lizards. Hence the logical conclusion of paleontologists that Utahraptor could have been more cunning and smarter than a typical dinosaur. But still, the Utahraptor was hardly such an insidious intellectual as Hollywood scriptwriters imagine it to be in a narcotic stupor - after all, birds are also different, compare the behavior of city sparrows and these hillbilly hens at your leisure.

In movies, Utahraptors are not as frequent guests as Velociraptors, which is strange, since Utahraptor is four times larger and just as many times more dangerous (according to police reports).

The largest complete skeleton of this African resident, after measurement, showed a length of 12 meters. However, there is good evidence to suggest the existence of specimens as long as 18 meters in length, so Spinosaurus may well be in contention for the top spot on this list. The Spinosaurus is an extremely unpleasant creature in appearance, according to the identikit. True, some paleontologists offer an alternative vision, even more unpleasant - with a hump and trunk - since, according to their version, he ate mainly fish. Check this out at your first meeting.

Let's say right away that the most popular pliosaur among the people is Liopleurodon. You also need to know the fact that pliosaurs are the largest predators that have ever lived on our planet, since 20 meters is quite an accessible size for them. The flippers alone grew up to 3 meters, and the teeth - up to 40 centimeters. Thank God Poseidon that pliosaurs, sea creatures, did not swim into cities.

Paleontologists once found an 18-meter pliosaur skeleton in Mexico. It would seem like a harsh, formidable creature! But the thing is that on these bones they found damage caused by the teeth of another, even larger pliosaur, about 25 meters away!

A close relative of Allosaurus (they still talk on the phone). For the first time in scientific literature described in 1995, i.e. two years after the release of Spielberg's Jurassic Park. That’s why I didn’t have time to pass the casting. But he played main role in half a dozen console games.

Giganotosaurs may have lived in packs. The length of their body reached 15 meters in moments of inspiration - this is almost like four Lada Kalina cars. I wonder how long he would digest them? The Giganotosaurus skull is 40 centimeters larger than the Tyrannosaurus rex skull! So in the event of a face-to-face meeting, the outcome would be clear. Another thing is that in time these two lizards missed each other by about 30 million years.

If giant lizards overrun the Earth again, Russians have a relatively high chance of surviving due to the cold climate (although Sochi and Crimea will have to be surrendered, yes). However, in the case of the Giganotosaurus, everything is much worse: scientists suggest that it could have been warm-blooded and could well have been covered with hair or feathers. So he is able to reach Moscow.

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 of the 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 it seems to be not only the largest dinosaur ever, 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 that 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 - greek god 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 most tall dinosaur who has ever roamed the earth, and what is 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 job. 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 worked so well digestive system, because with a life expectancy of 100 years (one of the longest in the dinosaur kingdom) and in the absence of such a metabolism, it would age 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. At the same time, he relied on his giant size and the strength of the jaws, elongated like a pliosaur and armed with sharp conical teeth. This predator fed mainly big fish, but 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 itself big 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 had 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 his height and appearance it looked a lot like a Tyrannosaurus rex. 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 skull of Tarbosaurus was 1.45 meters long, and the largest skull of Tyrannosaurus was 1.37 meters. 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, whose remains were found in the southern Gobi Desert, are large predatory 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 new remains of tarbosaurs in the South Gobi.

Since the early 1990s, such unique exhibits began to actively fall into private hands. According to information law enforcement agencies Mongolia, there is an illegal network of smugglers engaged in this type of business. 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.

Liopleurodons were typical pliosaurs - 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 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 of 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 refuted 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 finds so far. South Africa belonging to adult individuals.

Laura Porro found part of a fossilized baby skull with two adult fossils during an excavation 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 replace 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 Cretaceous 145-100 million years ago, as 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.

With a fossil of only one vertebra, it's hard to know exactly what the little dinosaur ate or even how big it 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 an official name and is nicknamed Ashdown maniraptorian in honor of 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 measures about 6 inches (15 cm). 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 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 -

Carnosaurs were and remain the largest bipedal predators that have ever existed on Earth. All carnosaurs, even those that ate carrion, had to be very strong to be able to separate meat from bones. Sharp teeth and the claws of predators were necessary not only for hunting, but also for protection from fellow tribesmen.

Carnosaurs - huge predatory dinosaurs

A typical representative of the infraorder carnosaurs is the dinosaur Allosaurus — "different" or "strange" "lizard") that lived approximately 154-144 million years ago. Allosaurus grew up to 12 meters in length and weighed up to 5 tons. Yes, it was a huge animal, which, most likely, was not capable of moving quickly over long distances.

The short but powerful front legs of the Allosaurus dinosaur helped to hold prey. The three fingers were armed with sharp claws that could tear the skin and flesh of the victim. And they did not serve for movement - allosaurs walked only on their hind legs.

The Allosaurus skull was almost a meter long. The mouth was full of teeth with jagged edges.

The Allosaurus dinosaur had a long tail. This helped balance the weight of the torso when walking. The lower limbs ended in three long fingers with sharp claws.

The skull and teeth of the Allosaurus were not very large relative to the body. If we compare the proportions of the Allosaurus dinosaur with those of humans, then if a person were 8 m tall, the length of his skull would be 85 cm.

One of the largest skeletons of the Allosaurus dinosaur was found in 1991. The skeleton is 95% preserved and is nicknamed "Big Al" (MOR 693). "Big Al" was about 8 feet long at the time of death. The remains were excavated in Wyoming by a team from the Museum of the Rockies and the University of Wyoming Geological Museum.