Meet Argentinosaurus: The Biggest Dinosaur?

Words to Know

Argentinosaurus

A giant long-necked dinosaur — maybe the biggest ever!

Argentinosaurus was as long as three school buses!

Herbivore

An animal that only eats plants

Argentinosaurus was a herbivore — it ate tree leaves!

Cretaceous

A time long ago when Earth was warm and covered in forests

Argentinosaurus lived during the Cretaceous period!

Fossil

The hard parts of a dead animal turned to rock over millions of years

Scientists found fossil bones in Argentina!

Sauropod

A type of dinosaur with a long neck, long tail, and four big legs

Argentinosaurus was a sauropod!

Ton

A way to measure very heavy things — one ton = 2,000 pounds!

Argentinosaurus weighed 70 tons!

Check What You Learned

Fun Facts

• Argentinosaurus was approximately 30–35 meters (100–115 feet) long

  Source: Bonaparte & Coria, 1993, "Un nuevo y gigantesco saurópodo titanosaurio de la Formación Río Limay," Ameghiniana

• Estimated weight: 65–75 tons, making it one of the heaviest land animals known

  Source: Mazzetta et al., 2004, "Giants and Bizarres: Body Size of Some Southern South American Dinosaurs," Historical Biology

• Lived during the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 90 million years ago

  Source: Bonaparte & Coria, 1993

• Fossils were discovered in Neuquén Province, Argentina, in 1987

  Source: Bonaparte & Coria, 1993

• Only about 13 partial bones are known — including vertebrae, rib fragments, and a femur

  Source: Novas, 2017, "New Specimens of Argentinosaurus"

• A single femur (leg bone) was approximately 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall

  Source: Bonaparte & Coria, 1993