
Let us
start with the present record holder, the dinosaur formally described as the
biggest known to science, at least for the time being. This honour goes to the
South American Sauropod Argentinosaurus (Argentinosaurus huinculensis).
This massive dinosaur was officially named and described in 1993. It is only
known from a few incomplete bones, including a femur and some vertebrae,
(backbones). The vestiges were found in Argentina, hence the name. The tallest
vertebrae are over 1.2 metres high. In comparisons with better known Sauropods
size estimates for this dinosaur have been complete. These estimates vary significantly,
with some scientists suggesting that this dinosaur may have been over
forty-five metres long and weighing something close to seventy tones. Other
more traditional estimates as to the size of this animal have been made, with a
length of a little over one hundred feet being agreed upon by some
palaeontologists. It is surely, true that this Cretaceous giant was an enormous
animal, but until more fossils are found the true size of this dinosaur can
only be predictable. A number of museums have capitalised on the reputation of
the largest dinosaurs and equipped mounted replicas of this particular giant.
The largest of these museum exhibits measures over thirty-five metres in
length, but here again, without more fossil proof this display is largely
speculative.