The Largest Dinosaurs Ever Discovered
Dinosaurs are perhaps the most fascinating creatures to have ever lived. Part of this is due to never experiencing them in the flesh, so it gives our imaginations room to wander and picture what prehistoric life would’ve been like among these incredible animals.
Another thing that makes dinosaurs so intriguing to us is the almost unimaginable size of some species. We’ve all seen the Jurassic Park and World films that always emphasised the sheer height and breadth of dinosaurs like the T-Rex, but even they only give us the slightest idea of just how big some dinosaurs were.
So, with that in mind, what were the biggest dinosaurs to roam the earth millions of years before us? Read on to learn the answer to that question and more, including how you can acquire extraordinary dinosaur fossils.
Table of contents
- What was the biggest dinosaur?
- The largest herbivorous dinosaurs
- The largest carnivorous dinosaurs
- Why were dinosaurs so big?
- Dinosaur fossils at Fossils UK
What was the biggest dinosaur?
The largest dinosaur to ever walk the earth was the Argentinosaurus. This enormous creature wasn’t the instant phenomenon you’d possibly presume when a fossil the size of a fully grown human was discovered in Argentina in 1987. This is because the rancher who discovered it initially thought it was a large chunk of petrified wood.
Six years later, it was reclassified as a single piece of vertebra that belonged to the Argentinosaurus. Estimates of this dinosaur’s length have been made using the size of existing and discovered fossils. Scientists believe the creature was between 37-40 metres (approximately 121-131 feet) long. This truly astonishing figure makes the Argentinosaurus the largest dinosaur ever.
As you can imagine given the estimated size, the Argentinosaurus was also the heaviest dinosaur to roam the planet. Estimated to weigh just shy of 100 tons, the long-necked behemoth was approximately 14x heavier than the infamous T-Rex.
The largest herbivorous dinosaurs
Alongside being the largest dinosaur, and therefore land animal, to ever live, the Argentinosaurus had a plant-based diet, making the world’s largest dinosaur a herbivore. The non-meat eaters of the prehistoric world take up a lot of real estate in the rankings for largest dinosaurs, mainly as they needed their long necks to reach plants high above the ground for convenient feeding. Below are more of the most enormous leaf-munching dinosaurs.
Brachiosaurus
Perhaps the most famous herbivore of all is the Brachiosaurus. The iconic long-necked dinosaur could reach lengths of 21 metres (69 feet) and weighed up to 80 tons. Reaching the necessary leaves was no problem for the Brachiosaurus as it towered over most other creatures to satisfy its diet.
Brontosaurus
Another similarly sized long-necked dinosaur was the Brontosaurus. Like the Brachiosaurus, the Brontosaurus used its height to pick off leaves and other plants to sustain itself. Despite reaching the same heights as the Brachiosaurus, the Brontosaurus didn’t have the same bulk, instead weighing around 30 tons. Certainly hefty, but much more slender than their contemporaries. The healthy and nutritious diet helped the Brontosaurus live up to 100 years old.
Triceratops
The Triceratops is most famous for its triple-horned face, but its size is also something to behold. Standing at approximately 6 metres (20 feet) tall and reaching lengths of a staggering 37 metres (121 feet), the Triceratops was certainly an imposing figure. Despite this somewhat scary appearance, the Triceratops had a herbivorous diet, so other creatures needn’t have worried.
The largest carnivorous dinosaurs
From vegetarian to viscous as we delve into the biggest carnivorous dinosaurs to roam the planet. Herbivores tend to have the size battle won against their meat-eating counterparts, and this is no coincidence. The readily available food and nutrition for herbivores meant they evolved large bodies as there was ample food to support them. Their size also helped protect them from predatory carnivores. Below are some of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs to have ever lived.
Spinosaurus
Native to what is now North Africa, the Spinosaurus was the largest carnivorous dinosaur ever. At 15 metres (49 feet) in length, no larger carnivore has been identified since the Spinosaurus’ discovery and affirmation in 1926 and 1982, respectively. Interestingly, the Spinosaurus lived a semi-aquatic lifestyle. Feeding on fish among other prey, studies have suggested that the Spinosaurus mainly inhabited areas of land near and in shallow water.
Carcharodontosaurus
If the Carcharodontosaurus’ name doesn’t leave an impression, its size surely will. The approximately 13-metre-long giant lived during the Late Cretaceous Period in Africa. The name ‘Carcharodontosaurus’ comes from the word Carcharodon, the scientific name for various types of shark. This name was attributed to the large dinosaur’s teeth sharing strong similarities with those of sharks.
Tyrannosaurus Rex
Surely the first dinosaur that comes to mind for anyone who has glanced at prehistoric history books or is obsessed with Jurassic Park, the T-Rex is a worldwide historical and cultural icon. The world’s most famous dinosaur wasn’t quite the largest, although it wasn’t far off. Slightly smaller than the Carcharodontosaurus at just shy of 13 metres in length, the T-Rex certainly made a much larger impact than any other dinosaur.
Why were dinosaurs so big?
The beauty of the prehistoric world is that some things can’t be determined with 100% certainty. Various theories and researchers suggest different reasons why some dinosaurs grew to the monumental sizes they achieved.
Simple conclusions have been made for large herbivores, such as their long necks were an evolutionary necessity to reach the leaves and plants their diet required. Characteristics such as many large dinosaurs adopting wide stances to support larger bodies have also been accepted as a partial factor.
Some theorise that a literal race to the top developed as predatory carnivores had to grow larger to be able to tackle their ever-growing prey.
Dinosaur fossils at Fossils UK
While we unfortunately, and in some cases fortunately, can’t experience these larger-than-life animals walking among us in our lifetimes, we can travel to the past through the wonders of fossils.
At Fossils UK, we stock an incredible collection of dinosaur fossils. Our range features awe-inspiring dinosaur teeth, bones and claws from various prehistoric animals. A dinosaur fossil from our collection is the perfect gift for your dinosaur-obsessed loved ones or yourself if you want a glimpse into the creatures of yesterday.
Browse our collection to find fascinating dinosaur fossils today.
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