After its rough transportation through two British Airway crafts, the world's biggest dinosaur has now reportedly landed in the UK.
World's Biggest Dinosaur
According to the Daily Mail, this titanosaur replica skeleton has been transported from Argentina all the way to London for a special showcase at the Natural History Museum.
Interesting Engineering reports that, due to this titanosaur's massive size, the diplodocus, or dippy, is bound to be "dethroned." This Patagotitan mayorum titanosaur has four times the weight of Dippy. It is also among the largest creatures to have ever stepped foot on the earth's surface.
This close-to-complete dinosaur has a length of around 115 feet, from its nose all the way to its tail, making it around 40 feet longer compared to the blue whale that is currently on display at the museum. It also tripled the size of the T. rex. The titanosaur could have also weighed around 60 to 70 tons.
The Daily Mail reports that the huge exhibit was disassembled and kept in over 40 crates last November. This was before it was kept in two aircraft bellyholds. It will reportedly fit just right inside the huge Warehouse Gallery, which is around 30 feet high, in the prominent tourist spot.
The historic exhibit was brought all the way to the UK for the special "Titanosaur: Life as the Biggest Dinosaur" exhibit that will start on March 31. This marks its first display in Europe after being loaned by Argentina's MEF (Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio).
Exhibition science lead professor, Paul Barret, states that this Patagotitan mayorum is a remarkable specimen that has shed light on these huge titanosaurs. Its weight compares to that of over nine African elephants. With this, the remarkable exhibit will inspire the audience to look out for creatures that are huge and vulnerable.
Titanosaurs
According to Brittanica, titanosaurus lived from the late Jurassic Epoch all the way to the Cretaceous period's end. Fossils of these creatures were found on every continent except Antarctica. There are around 40 species included. Brittanica reports that this group of creatures is the largest group of land animals that have ever walked over the earth.
The Daily Mail reports that titanosaurs were herbivores, just like sauropods. They also had long necks and tails, as well as small heads.
However, compared to other sauropod species, these titanosaurs had stockier bodies. They also had a wider stance due to their limbs.
The sizes of titanosaurs are widely varied. One of the smallest species was the Neuquensaurus, which had an estimated length of 7 meters and a weight of 10,000 kilograms.
Some species with full remains were from the Dreadnoughtus, which covers around 70% of the skeleton. Such findings enable paleontologists to come up with estimates regarding the weight and length of these creatures.
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