Supermassive Dreadnoughtus Sauropod Feared Nothing Say Scientists
Posted on September 4, 2014
Scientists have described Dreadnoughtus schrani, a newly discovered supermassive sauropod dinosaur species. Two fossilized skeletons of the species were unearthed in southern Patagonia in Argentina over the course of the past four years.
Researchers say Dreadnoughtus was the largest land animal for which mass can be accurately calculated. It was 26 meters (85 feet) long and weighed about 65 tons (59,300 kg). It stood two stories tall. The dinosaur's tail was 29 feet long.
Kenneth Lacovara, PhD, an associate professor in Drexel University's College of Arts and Sciences, who discovered the Dreadnoughtus fossil skeleton, says in a statement, "Dreadnoughtus schrani was astoundingly huge. It weighed as much as a dozen African elephants or more than seven T. rex. Shockingly, skeletal evidence shows that when this 65-ton specimen died, it was not yet full grown. It is by far the best example we have of any of the most giant creatures to ever walk the planet."
Lacovara chose the first portion of the dinosaur's name Dreadnoughtus, meaning "fears nothing," because he thought the enormous beast would be fearless because of its size and its powerful tail. Lacovara says, "With a body the size of a house, the weight of a herd of elephants, and a weaponized tail, Dreadnoughtus would have feared nothing. That evokes to me a class of turn-of-the-last century battleships called the dreadnoughts, which were huge, thickly clad and virtually impervious."
The second part of the name, schrani, was chosen to honor American entrepreneur Adam Schran, who provided support for the research.
The Guardian reports that the fossilized remains of the larger Dreadnoughtus specimen represent the most complete skeleton of a plant-eating dinosaur ever recovered. 115 bones and a tooth were recovered from the most complete of the two fossils. A big reason for this is the dinosaurs were essentially buried in ground that become like quicksand following a sudden flood. Drexel researchers says, "These two animals were buried quickly after a river flooded and broke through its natural levee, turning the ground into something like quicksand. The rapid and deep burial of the Dreadnoughtus schrani type specimen accounts for its extraordinary completeness. Its misfortune was our luck."
Here is a video about the discovery from Drexel University. The size of the fossilized bone fragments sitting on the tables in the research lab is astounding. Lacovara explains the enormity of the creature and its weaponized tail in the video. He says, "I think it is finally time that herbivores get their due." He also shows how they captured the form of the bones using a 3D scanner. Take a look:
A research paper on Dreadnoughtus is published here in Scientific Reports. An interesting FAQ about the discovery can be found here.