ARGENTINOSAURUS
Argentinosaurus huinculensis
Meaning: "Argentina Lizard"
📊 STATS
Size comparison:
As long as three school buses parked end-to-end!
📖 ABOUT ARGENTINOSAURUS
Meet Argentinosaurus, the Argentina Lizard! This giant herbivore was one of the biggest dinosaurs EVER. Imagine a plant-eating beast as long as a house!
Imagine a dinosaur so big, it could barely fit in a football field! That's Argentinosaurus, a colossal herbivore from the Late Cretaceous period. Discovered in Argentina in 1987, this gentle giant belonged to a group of dinosaurs called titanosaurs, known for their enormous size. Argentinosaurus munched on plants all day long to fuel its massive body. Its long neck helped it reach the tallest trees, and its strong legs supported its incredible weight. Living around 96 to 92 million years ago, Argentinosaurus roamed the ancient landscapes of South America, likely traveling in herds for safety. While scientists haven't found a complete skeleton, the bones they have discovered are HUGE, leading them to believe this dinosaur was truly one of the largest animals to ever walk the Earth. It moved slowly, at only 8 km/h, but who would dare to get in its way?
🔬 CLASSIFICATION
- Group
- Sauropoda
- Family
- Titanosauridae
- Period
- Late Cretaceous (100-66 Ma)
- Era
- 96.0 - 92.0 million years ago
🗺️ DISCOVERY
- Year
- 1987
- Discovered by
- Guillermo Heredia
- Location
- Patagonia, Argentina
- Fossils found in
- Argentina
🎨 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATION
Artistic reconstruction of Argentinosaurus based on fossil evidence
🗺️ WHERE FOSSILS WERE FOUND
Argentina
🤓 FUN FACTS
- ✨ Argentinosaurus's back vertebrae (bones in its spine) were over 1 meter tall!
- ✨ It lived alongside other amazing dinosaurs like Giganotosaurus, one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs!
- ✨ Scientists believe Argentinosaurus laid eggs that were about the size of basketballs!
- ✨ Argentinosaurus means 'Argentina Lizard' because it was discovered in Argentina!
- ✨ Even though it was HUGE, Argentinosaurus was a plant-eater, munching on leaves and branches!
💡 DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that Argentinosaurus was so big, its heart might have weighed over 400 pounds to pump blood all the way up its long neck!
