Paleontologists may have discovered the largest dinosaur that ever existed

The largest land animal living today is the African bush elephant, weighing around 20,000 pounds. As large as the elephants are, they have nothing on extinct megafauna. Scientists who excavated a new species of dinosaur in Argentina have reported that the specimen may be the largest that has ever lived. Although he didn’t set a record, the animal was much larger than anything alive today.

Only part of the animal was exhumed from its stone coffin, but paleontologists know that it belongs to the sauropod family. These creatures, like the Brachiosaurus and the Apatosaurus, had long tails and necks as well as four thick pillar-shaped legs. This body design has allowed some species to reach unfathomable proportions – the current dino record holder is a sauropod called Patagotitan swimsuit. This animal was about six times as massive as a modern African elephant, and the new find appears to be even greater.

The new dinosaur, which is being excavated not far from where scientists found it Patagotitan swimsuit, is still mainly buried in rock. So it doesn’t have a name and the team didn’t dare to guess the size of the animal in life. However, some human-sized bones are 10-20% larger than the same bones in Patagotitan swimsuit. The location also makes sense. Patagotitan swimsuit is also native to this region of Argentina, which has gained a reputation for being home to several species of record-breaking huge sauropods.

A Patagotitan swimsuit reconstruction on display at the Field Museum in Chicago. Credit: Ryan Whitwam

Researchers first spotted the animal’s remains in 2012. A team did not visit the site for excavations until 2015, but the animal had been lying there for 98 million years. A few more seasons weren’t going to matter. Currently, the team has discovered the tail, some pelvic bones and vertebrae. From these, paleontologists know they are looking at a very large dinosaur, possibly even the largest.

It is rare for an entire animal to fossilize – in fact, many species of dinosaurs are only known from a few sets of incomplete skeletal remains. This specimen appears to be mostly intact, but most of it is still buried in the rock. The team expects to spend several more years carefully removing rocks around the fossils. Hopefully the remains include intact femurs or humorous bones. From these, researchers will be able to accurately estimate the size of the animal. When that happens, this unnamed creature could take on the crown as the largest known dinosaur.

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