Elephants, hippopotami, giraffes and rhinoceros are four of the biggest, heaviest and largest animals that walk the Earth today. But even these massive creatures are dwarfed by many of the massive species of dinosaurs whose remains have been found today. Stretching at well over 100 feet and weighing over 100 tonnes, dinosaurs were the largest terrestrial animal that ever existed. In comparison, the biggest elephant ever was only 13 feet tall and weighed 12 tonnes.
Over the 165 million years that dinosaurs roamed the Earth, a fact that would make the last dinosaurs closer chronologically to humans than the oldest dinosaurs, there were various dinosaurs that could claim the title of being the largest. While many have been identified today, their sizes can only be estimated using fossil remains.
Here are some of the largest dinosaurs to have ever lived. Most of the following dinosaurs belong to the sauropods group of dinosaurs. These creatures had long necks and tails and extremely heavy bodies.
Dreadnoughtus schrani
Living approximately 76-70 million years ago, the Dreadnoughtus schrani was possibly one of the largest if not the heaviest dinosaur to walk the planet. The dinosaur has been estimated to stretch about 85 feet from its tail to the top of its head and may have weighed close to 65 tonnes.
Maraapunisaurus
Originally identified from a single vertebra fossil that later went missing, Maraapunisaurus was once estimated to be a huge dinosaur weighing over 150 tonnes. It was nearly 200 feet long. Though later estimates were more conservative, the animal was still thought to be between 70-120 tonnes in mass and 115–131 ft long.
Patagotitan mayorum
Known as the Titanosaur, for good reason, before its official naming, the Patagotitan is certainly a frontrunner candidate for the largest land animal on Earth. The dinosaur’s femur, the thigh bone, alone measured over 8 feet from end to end. The animal is estimated to have been around 120 feet long and weighing in around 77 tonnes.
Argentinosaurus
Widely regarded as the biggest dinosaur to ever exist, the Argentinosaurus roamed the planet 96-92 million years ago. Though no complete skeleton has ever been found, the fossil remnants of a vertebra put size estimates of the creature at 120 to 130 ft in length and between 100-110 tonnes in weight.
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Paralititan stromeri
Excavated from near Egypt, the Paralititan stromeri is thought to have lived nearly 94 million years ago. Though its full skeleton has not been found, size estimates based on its femur fossil put it in the realm of the Argentinosaurus. The creature is estimated to have been 80-100 ft in length and weighed around 66 to 83 tonnes.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
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