It so happened that humans and dinosaurs have missed time in the historical plane of development of our planet. These amazing and mysterious animals died out long before the appearance of people of the modern type. But their remains are forever imprinted in the geological deposits of the Earth, pages of scientific and fiction, our imagination what they were and what they could be now. The time span separating humans and dinosaurs is approximately 230 million years old. And these mysterious animals died out 63 million years before the appearance of the first ancestors of modern man on earth.
This topic is so exciting for Mankind that writers and filmmakers of the present and the past on the pages of their works and films are trying to revive the life of these giants of the prehistoric era. In childhood, many were read by the book “The Lost World” by Arthur Conan Doyle, “Jurassic Park” tickled the nerves of a sophisticated audience, and our parents, grandparents enthusiastically empathized with the heroes of the film “A Million Years BC.
But all this would have been impossible, and our knowledge of dinosaurs would have remained at the initial level without the painstaking work of scientists who literally bit by bit collecting information from the bowels of the earth about creatures living hundreds of millions of years ago.
For almost 200 years of research history (the first remains were discovered in 1822), dinosaurs made unique discoveries that allowed them to restore the appearance of animals, to design behavior, to determine the diet and interactions with relatives.
Let us now consider in more detail the largest animals, which scientists attribute to terrible, terrible, dangerous ... So the name "dinosaurs" is translated from ancient Greek. Some animals from this list are dinosaurs only in the eyes of ordinary people, but not in the scientific world.
Sarcosuchus
In the scientific world, this type of ancient dinosaur got its name from the merger of the ancient Greek words "flesh" and "crocodile", but, which is noteworthy, does not apply to the order of crocodiles.
The largest crocodile-like reptile of the Cretaceous period, which lived on the territory of modern Africa, fed mainly on the inhabitants of reservoirs - fish and other dinosaurs.
Today's crocodiles would look like cubs of the Sarkozuhov. The length of the lizard reached 15 meters, and the dinosaur weighed over 14 tons. The length of the giant skull reached 1.6 meters.
The power of the powerful jaw of Sarkozuh is amazing, which equals 15-20 tons, so that he could freely eat a large dinosaur.
All these conclusions were made from finds in geological deposits in 1966, 1997 and 2000. It was possible to determine the time the dinosaur lived on Earth - 112 million years ago.
By the way, read about the biggest crocodiles in the world on our site thebiggest.ru.
Shonizaur
Shonizaur is the largest of the well-known fish-hunters, or scientifically - ichthyosaurs.
Shoniosaurs lived in the depths of the ocean in the late Triassic era 250 - 90 million years ago. The largest marine reptile reached a size of 14 meters in length and weighed 30-40 tons. A narrow-jawed skull of a shoniosaurus could reach a length of 2 meters.
The largest burial site of shoniaosaurs was discovered in Nevada. When mining silver and gold, the miners came across giant skeletons. The findings were mothballed for further study. And one of them was reconstructed and exhibited at the Los Angeles Museum.
The question remains about the diet of the marine lizard. There is speculation that this was a large fish hunter, attacking the victim from an ambush and tearing it with sharp teeth.
In 1977, the Shoniosaurus became the official fossil symbol of the state of Nevada, as the remains of 37 fish-digger individuals were found here.
Shantungosaurus
Judging by this photo, you might think that this is the progenitor of a modern zebra, but it is not.
The remains of the giant "Shandong pangolin" were discovered in China in 1973.
This dinosaur, one of the largest representatives of poultry-lizard dinosaurs, walked around the expanses of the Earth at the very end of the Cretaceous.
The herbivorous lizard Shantungosaurus grew up to 15 meters in length and weighed 15 tons. Massive jaws had 1,500 small teeth for grinding food.
It is noteworthy that with the help of a membrane covering the animal’s massive nostrils, the Shantungosaurus could make sounds.
Liopleurodon
This dinosaur, called "smooth tooth", could become the hero of Spielberg’s film, as it lived in the Jurassic period.
Liopleurodon belongs to the detachment of plesiosaurs - marine reptiles that settled all the waters of the oceans 227-205 million years ago. Based on the scanty remains found in France, England, Mexico and Russia, it is very difficult to determine the exact size of the animal. Adults could reach 14 meters in length, with a narrow head, approximately reaching a length of 1.5 meters. The Air Force film presented Liopleurodont 29 meters in size, but this, according to researchers, is an obvious exaggeration.
Four massive flippers of the animal allowed him to develop great speed in pursuit of the victim. Liopleurodontus ate large and medium fish, and attacked relatives - representatives of other marine reptiles. Perhaps the sea lizard had a well-developed sense of smell, sniffing, if I may say so, water, in search of food.
These prehistoric marine inhabitants died out about 80 million years ago.
Quetzalcoatl
The name of the ancient lizard was taken from the Nahuatl language. Quetzalcoatl - "feathered serpent", the deity of the Aztecs and other tribes of Central America. Also a historical figure, included in the legends and myths of the ancient peoples of America.
But from historical digressions we will return to our dinosaur. Quetzalcoatl is the only major representative of the pterosaur squad, whose wingspan reached 12 meters. This feathered predator weighed from 65 to 250 kg. These flying dinosaurs plowed the sky in the Upper Cretaceous, about 68-65 million years ago.
The remains of Quetzalcoatl were found far from the coastline of the oceans, which allowed scientists to exclude fish from the diet of the lizard. Most likely, he ate carrion, sometimes attacking small animals.
A long beak with rows of sharp teeth made it easy to absorb coarse food. To hunt over the sea, catching fish from the water, was too energy-consuming for the pterosaur. With such dimensions, Quetzalcoatl would experience great air resistance.
Spinosaurus
Due to the structural features of the body and skin of the dinosaur, the Latin name Spinosaurus literally translates as a spiked lizard.
The remains of the Spinosaurus discovered in Africa, from Egypt to Cameroon and Kenya, have restored the appearance and behavior of this representative of the spinosauridae family.
These lizards began to explore the open spaces of North Africa about 112 million years ago. Among all carnivorous lizards, the spinosaurus possessed the largest skull. The dinosaur is striking in its size: the height of an adult dinosaur is 16-18 meters, and its mass is more than 7 tons. Vertebral processes in the form of a sail on the back, make it recognizable in the group of other fossil animals.
An excellent hunter, Spinosaurus kept the victim well-developed forelimbs, and tore into pieces a powerful jaw with large sharp teeth. He hunted both on land and in shallow water. Scientists have suggested that stingrays were a favorite treat for this dinosaur.
Diplodocus
Diplodocus is a representative of the lizards of the Jurassic period dinosaurs, had massive sizes and lived 150-138 million years ago.
Literally, his name can be translated as "double beam", because of the long neck and the same tail of the animal. Reached growth of 10 meters, body length - 28-33 meters and the weight of this giant could be 20-30 tons.
This herbivorous dinosaur moved on four powerful legs, balancing its tail for balance. Scientists suggest that the tail also served as a means of communication among individuals in the pack. The powerful tail protected the animal from predators.
In addition to low-calorie vegetation, algae and small mollusks were included in the food, in order to maintain such a body mass. The teeth of the diplodocus are poorly developed, so he most likely rubbed food with his jaws rather than chewing it.
This species of dinosaurs became extinct at the end of the Jurassic period, 135-130 million years ago.
Futalognosaurus
The dinosaur of the Upper Cretaceous era inhabited the territory of modern South America 94-85 million years ago.
The remains of this species were discovered relatively recently in 2000 in the province of Neuquen in Argentina. The name, like many South American dinosaurs, comes from the dialects of the local languages Mapudungun, literally means "The main giant."
The titasaur reached a height of 15 meters, with a body length of about 32-33 meters and a weight of 80 tons.
During excavations in 2000-2003 in Argentina, researchers were very lucky. An almost complete skeleton of the Futalognosaurus was found; only the bones of the tail were missing. To date, these are the best preserved remains of all studies discovered over two centuries.
A study of the fossils around the bones of the dinosaur showed that earlier it was a woodland with a variety of species of trees and shrubs, today it is a desert zone with a small amount of vegetation.
At thebiggest you can also find out about Argentina's highest mountains.
Zavroposeidon
Even a person unaware of Greek mythology can easily translate the name of this dinosaur - the Poseidon lizard. This giant four-legged herbivorous representative of the sauropoda genus lived in the middle of the Cretaceous period 125-100 million years ago.
It was discovered for science only recently in 1994, when the remains of this dinosaur were discovered in the courtyard of a prison in Oklahoma.
Based on the found skeleton remains, scientists have restored the appearance and size of Zavroposeidon. In length, the dinosaur grew to 31 meters, the growth was 18 meters and weight with such dimensions could reach up to 60 tons. Growing with a fully elongated neck of 20 meters, this indicator puts Zavroposeidon in second place in the list of the highest dinosaurs.
Females of this species of dinosaurs laid up to 100 eggs. Young individuals lived alone, they had to eat constantly in order to grow and they could be accepted into an adult flock. Until adulthood, only 3-4 cubs of Zavroposeidon grew out of a hundred. Most likely, this factor, along with a change in vegetation on Earth, was the reason for the extinction of this species of lizards.
Argentinosaurus
According to the found remains in Argentina, this dinosaur was called the "Lizard from Argentina." One of the largest dinosaurs living in the territory of modern South America, more than 98 million years ago.
A small number of found remains allow only presumably to restore its size. But a single vertebra with a height of 159 cm can talk about the gigantic size of an animal. In the hall of the Carmen Funes Museum, a reconstruction of the skeleton is 39.7 m in length. Scientists believe that this is not far from the truth, and the size of the Argentinosaurus could reach from 23 to 35 meters and weight - from 60 tons to 180 tons.
A dinosaur with a neck length, moved on the surface of the earth on four legs and fed on the leaves of tall trees, the nutritious vegetation of the Cretaceous period. For grinding food in the stomach, swallowed stones. Argentinosaurs kept in packs of 20-25 individuals.
Mamenchisaurus
This dinosaur with the longest neck, lived on the territory of modern East Asia, and is assigned by scientists to the genus of herbivorous sauropods of the family Mamenchisauridae. Well, really, an animal worthy of the title of TheBiggest!
The length of the necks of the “lizard from Mamensi” reached 15 meters. It is the cervical vertebrae that distinguish reptile among other dinosaurs. Scientists have counted 19 vertebrae in the neck of Mamenchisaurus. Adults could reach 25 meters in length. Like all sauropods, the Mamenchisaurus had a small head with massive body sizes.
A dinosaur moved on four legs, terrifying its neighbors with its size. But at the same time, this lizard is a harmless herbivore that lived about 145 million years ago.
Amphicelias
So we got to the largest dinosaur that ever lived on planet Earth.
Amphicelias is one of the first open species of herbivorous dinosaur. His remains were discovered by archaeologist E. Kop back in 1878. He also made the first sketches of the fossil, as the found vertebra fell apart during clearing from the ground. Nowadays, finds of remains are known in the USA and Zimbabwe.
The body length of this truly gigantic animal ranged from 40 to 65 meters, and this dinosaur weighed 155 tons. Light cervical vertebrae allowed the dinosaur to keep his neck in weight. Evolution made it easier to crank your neck, creating a very small head for Amphicelias, relative to the body.
The large size of the dinosaur had a number of negative consequences. Not having time to grow young, clumsy individuals became easy prey for predatory dinosaurs. Growing up, these dinosaurs ate a large number of plants, which naturally led to a decrease in places suitable for life.
With such a large size, it was difficult for a dinosaur to move, most likely, he never ran, but moved on the ground in steps. Large individuals could easily defend themselves from predators. But this was rare, the gigantic size of the Amphithelias itself was a defense, and carnivorous dinosaurs did not dare to attack.
To date, paleontologists distinguishes two species of Amphicelias living 165-140 million years ago.
Conclusion
Many finds of dinosaur remains were made by accident. Targeted research is very rare and little funded. For this reason, our knowledge of dinosaurs is quite small. Many conclusions are just assumptions, conjectures, analogies with already known and proven facts. We write down the small number of discovered remains of these animals and the large time period that shares our existence with them. It’s easy to pronounce the phrase “145 million years ago,” and think deeply ... The first human ancestors appeared in Africa only 3.5–4 million years ago.
Comparative sizes of Breviparop and humans.
For example, scientists still can not restore what Breviparop looked like. In 1979, only traces of this dinosaur were found in Morocco. The chain of tracks stretched over 90 meters, and the paw size was 115 by 90 cm, which gives reason to attribute it to one of the largest dinosaurs of the sauropod infraorder.
Findings of the fossils of recent decades give reason to believe that in the near future humanity will learn about new types of dinosaurs, their behavior and lifestyle. Perhaps, with the new discoveries of archaeologists and paleontologists, near-scientific speculations around the causes of the extinction of these unique animals that inhabited our planet in the distant, very distant past will stop.
And if you want to look at the largest modern animals, then TheBiggest has a very interesting article for you.
Article author: Valery Skiba