How big were the dinosaurs? Bigger than we thought. Paleontologists report they have dug up and analyzed fossil remains of the heaviest dinosaur that ever tromped the Earth. The new heavyweight champ of the dinosaur world is Dreadnoughtus schrani, weighing in at 65 tons.
That's the total weight of more than a dozen African elephants or seven Tyrannosaurus rex. Even bigger news—this plant-eating dinosaur was still growing when it was buried by a flood 77 million years ago.
On National Fossil Day (October 15) during Earth Science Week, learners can investigate dinosaur size with Howtosmile.org fossil activities. A dinosaur's weight is estimated partly from measurements of its femur or thigh bone. In the Measuring Growth activity, learners contrast dinosaur femur size with femur size of people in their family. Dreadnoughtus schrani's femur size was over six feet tall!
In Dinosaur Skull and Body Length Predictions, learners compare dinosaur sizes to common objects. Learners can find out how their own body size measures up to a dinosaur's in Compare Dinosaur Body Parts.
Discover more about the new supersize dinosaur in a video interview with one of the scientists who found the giant fossil in Argentina, associate professor Ken Lacovara of Drexel University.