Everyone Wants To Know: What is the Biggest Dinosaur?
Yesterday I covered ten dinosaur facts that every dinosaur lover should know and it got me to thinking about the biggest dinosaur species out there. One of the most often asked questions among dinosaur lovers and even those less intrigued by dinosaurs is: what is the biggest dinosaur?
There’s a Trick to Finding the Biggest Dinosaur Species
Since dinosaur species are so varied there really isn’t one answer to this question, rather there are multiple answers depending upon how you define the word “big.” There is the tallest dinosaur, the heaviest dinosaur and the dinosaur with the longest skull etc. Below we will take a look at all of these record holders.
The Heaviest Herbivore
Amphicoelias fragillimus goes down as being the biggest dinosaur in the herbivore category in terms of weight, weighing in at 122.4 tons. Amphicoelias fragillimus is a late Jurassic Sauropod; however, since their discovery this dinosaurs remains have been lost and only graphic representations of this herbivore remain.
The Heaviest Carnivore
Spinosaurus Aegyptiacus is the biggest dinosaur in the carnivore category in terms of weight, weighing in at between 12 to 19 tons. Spinosaurus aegyptiacus is a late Cretaceous Theropod known for the giant sail that protruded from it’s back.
The Tallest Herbivore
Amphicoelias fragillimus most likely also goes down as being the tallest herbivore because of it’s overall size and the fact that it’s estimated femur length was 10–13 ft.
The Tallest Carnivore
Giganotosaurus carolinii and Spinosaurus aegyptiacus could both be the winners of the tallest carnivore award depending upon which estimate is used for each species. It is estimates that Giganotosaurus carolinii stood at between 18 – 20 feet and Spinosaurus aegyptiacus stood at between 17-24 feet.
The Longest Herbivore
Amphicoelias fragillimus wins again, measuring in at between 130 – 200 feet long!
The Longest Carnivore
Spinosaurus Aegypiacus wins again, measuring approximately 46 feet long (Giganotosaurus is approximated to have measured in at 40 – 42 feet long.)
The Carnivore with the Longest Skull
Giganotosaurus carolinii is the carnivore with the longest skull measuring in at 6.3 feet long.
The Herbivore with the Longest Skull
To date it is believed that Torosaurus latus is the herbivore with the longest skull measuring in at a whopping 8.5 ft in length. Torosaurus is a Ceratopsian of the late Cretaceous period.
The Dinosaur with the Largest Wingspan
Quetzalcoatlus had an incredible wingspan of 52.2 feet and wins the award for the biggest dinosaur in terms of wingspan hands down.
The Herbivore with the Longest Tail
Amphicoelias fragillimus wins again with a tail that is estimated to have been approximately 105 feet long!
The Carnivore with the Longest Tail
Data is scarce on the length of carnivorous dinosaur tails; however, it is believed that Giganotosaurus carolinii would most likely have ranked at the top of it’s class.
The Dinosaur with the Longest Neck
Amphicoelias fragillimus wins as the biggest dinosaur in terms of neck length with a neck that is estimated at 55 feet long!
Note: Bruhathkayosaurus matleyi has not been included in this biggest dinosaur comparison due to a lack of available information on this dinosaur to date.
