Animals of the Mesozoic
What did the Earth look like during the Mesozoic period? Reptiles of huge and small sizes walked everywhere. Dinosaurs reigned for more than 165 million years, but mysteriously began to disappear. To gain knowledge about species, paleontologists study their fossils remaining on Earth. The remains of the smallest dinosaur have been found in North America. Fossils were discovered back in the 1970s. thanks to Elizabeth Nichols at the University of Alberta in Canada.
Bones of unknown species
It is unclear how these small bones were stored in cabinets until they were found by Nick Longrich. So they were identified quite recently. The new species was given the name Hesperonychus elizabethae. Scientists studied the shape of the skeleton's pelvis and were able to prove that the ancient lizard was an adult representative of these individuals, just small by nature.
The bones of such a small dinosaur were the hardest to find, as they decomposed faster and fell into pieces. However, scientists were able to detect it in North America, in the Canadian province of Alberta. This previously unknown species of dinosaur weighed no more than 1 kg and was about 70 cm long. It was proven that the creature lived about 150 million years ago.
Dinosaur the size of a cat
Canadian paleontologists have announced that miniature dinosaurs occupied an important link in the food chain. The smallest dinosaur was the size of a domestic cat, although it was a dangerous predator. Its main sources of food were insects and small mammals. In addition, when hunting in a pack, they could attack the young of other dinosaurs.
Such a miniature lizard ran briskly on its feet and defended itself with very sharp teeth and sickle-shaped claws. Nick Longrich, who proved the existence of the species and named it in honor of Elizabeth Nichols, believes that they lived in large numbers in the forests of the Cretaceous period.
Anatomical structure
The anatomical structure makes Hesperonychus elizabethae similar to velociraptors found in Asia - two-legged predators, well known from the film “Jurassic Park” by Steven Spielberg. The small lizards were even more similar to the ancient four-winged microraptors. Paleontologists speculate that these populations may have shared a common land route between Alaska and Siberia.
By the way, quite recently Longrich found and described a second very small predator living in what is now North America. Albertonykus borealis did not exceed 60 cm in height and fed on small insects: ants and termites.
Yulia Domakhina, Samogo.Net
Life publishes a rating of prehistoric giants compiled by Stepan Savelyev. This Moscow schoolboy became famous after his mother published a post on social networks asking him to support her son and like his posts. The fact is that his classmates called the boy a “loser” because he is interested in dinosaurs and does not play computer games like everyone else. As a result, Styopa instantly became a star on the Runet and federal television channels. Life invited Styopa to try out as a freelance writer.
"I analyzed 10 dinosaurs that managed to distinguish themselves in some way. I hope no one will be offended that I allowed myself to joke a little."
1. Spinosaurus
The biggest predator. It is easy to recognize by the sail that grows on its back. This sail reached 2-4 meters in height! Probably, if desired, Spinosaurus could become a hang glider! The spinosaurus was 16 meters long, 5-8 meters high, and weighed from 4 to 14 tons. Its long jaw allowed it to hunt fish and other aquatic inhabitants. During periods of drought, he ate other dinosaurs and did not disdain carrion. This comrade also managed to appear in films and cartoons. It was he who defeated the Tyrannosaurus in Jurassic Park 3.
Recommendation: if you put it on a chain and put it on a huge raft, then its sail will help it go on the right course, especially if it is turned in the right direction with the help of the stern. And if this sail is painted red, then you can at the same time remove “Scarlet Sails” in dinoversion. A sort of Godzilla from the ocean under scarlet sails.
2. Tyrannosaurus rex
Probably the most famous dinosaur in the world. In total, more than 30 individuals were found, including almost complete skeletons. This is a very large predator, reaching 13 meters in length and 4 meters in height, weighing almost 7 tons. He ran quite fast with such a weight - his speed was from 40 to 70 km per hour. A real car! At the same time, he was quite nasty and harmful in character. He is a cannibal, which means he ate his own kind.
True, you can laugh at him (from a distance, of course): he had very short front legs, like a crocodile from a cartoon about bad teeth. So, most likely, his teeth also hurt; he was unlikely to be able to brush them.
3. Torosaurus
My favorite dinosaur with one of the largest skulls. But I love him not only for this. It was found for the first time quite a long time ago, back in the 19th century. Its size was about 8 meters, and the skull was 3 meters long, that is, more than a third of the entire dinosaur was the head. This means he could be very smart! It was quite heavy. Herbivorous. And he also managed to appear in “Jurassic Park 3.” Torosaurus has a beak that helps it deftly bite leaves and branches. It was not aggressive in itself, but could defend itself well, having very large and strong horns. Not every predator would dare to contact a torosaurus - who wants to become a victim of a dinocorrida? Torosaurus also had a large bony collar, larger in size than Triceratops, which is similar in appearance to Torosaurus. Confused yet?
Recommendation: Due to its non-aggression and intelligence, it can be used as a large pet. For example, how some people keep elephants. Surely you can teach him some tricks and then perform with him.
4. Stegosaurus
A dinosaur with a very small brain, only the size of a walnut! This is a very beautiful and unusual dinosaur. This is a common combination of beauty and intelligence for those times. Has plates on his back that help him cool or heat his body. Some scientists think that he could move these plates like a butterfly's wings. It was a little short of the length of a tyrannosaurus, it was about 9 meters in length, and weighed about four and a half tons. Stegosaurus was a herbivore, usually grazing like a cow. He didn't give me milk. But his hind legs were stronger than his front legs, so he could pluck trees in search of food. Despite the fact that he was a herbivore, he was quite dangerous - there were spikes on his tail, and a blow from such a tail could be fatal for many dinosaurs! It is said that its plates could be painted in very bright colors. To attract the attention of female dinosaurs, and vice versa. In fact, scientists still don’t know what color dinosaurs actually were, so we can only fantasize.
5. Allosaurus
This is one of the first dinosaurs found. His remains were discovered back in the 19th century, in 1877. This is also a movie star dinosaur, just like the Tyrannosaurus rex. He starred in the films “The Lost World” (based on the novel by K. Doyle) and “And Thunder Rolled” (based on the novel by R. Bradbury). Allosaurus is a predatory and very large dinosaur. It is quite dangerous, but is smaller in size than the Tyrannosaurus rex and much lighter. He moved faster. It reached 9-10 meters in length, and its front legs were also small, like those of a tyrannosaurus, although longer. On his front paws he had three large and very dangerous dirty claws. It was dangerous for male allosaurus to quarrel with their females: they could scratch out their eyes. Interesting fact: Allosaurus could breathe like birds, not exhaling air from its mouth, but blowing it through special holes in the vertebrae. An unusual technical solution, but it helped him pursue prey for a long time without losing his breath. Which, as it were, never happened.
Recommendation: Given its excellent physical shape and the presence of special holes, it can be used to participate in the marathon race. True, he will have to release prey ahead, which he will pursue. It is unlikely that it will be possible to come to an amicable agreement with him. There's also a problem with the brain.
6. Argentinosaurus
One of the largest dinosaurs found. Its length is from 22 to 35 meters, and its height is 12-14 meters. Like a five-story building! Can you imagine? This “meat house” weighed about 70-75 tons. This is how much the first American reusable transport spaceship, the Enterprise, weighs. Of course, it is impossible to feed such a monster with meat. He was a herbivore - he ate grass, leaves, twigs. Really, honey? Naturally, given his size, few could pose a danger to him at all, except that small predators, like piranhas, could swoop down on him in a flock and gnaw him. He wouldn’t have had time to run away from them, but he could have fought off for a long time, especially if the flock had been small. He did not move very quickly and on four legs; they were powerful and identical, like those of an elephant.
7. Seismosaurus
One of the longest dinosaurs. Reached a length of 50 meters. He is also one of the heaviest dinosaurs. Its weight reached 140 tons! It's like the E-100 tank, for those who understand. This cutie ate grass and leaves. He had a oh-so-long neck and a oh-oh-very long tail. In general, this dinosaur walked on four legs almost parallel to the ground. Of course, he could not rise on his hind legs, but he could raise his neck upward to get to higher leaves, when he had already eaten everything below. Nobody messed with such a dinosaur, so he himself was not dangerous, and few people attempted to kill him. The main thing here is not to get caught in his paws or tail. If he wandered into a swampy area, he could get stuck, so he mostly wandered on land, sometimes reaching the surface of swamps and lakes, and could not even climb into forests due to his size. Poor!
8. Apatosaurus
The dinosaur with two names and the most mistakes in learning. Scientists gave him someone else's name and attributed someone else's head. Skulls of herbivorous dinosaurs are rarely preserved because the bones of such skulls are usually small and decay more quickly. Its middle name is Brontosaurus. A very large dinosaur. Reached a length of 20 meters and weighed about 17- 20 tons. But at the same time, his brain weighed only 400 grams. Not the smartest dinosaur. But he could stand on his hind legs, which is all for dinosaurs with such a long neck. e -still a rarity. Apatosaurus lived in packs.They had a rather long neck and a long tail.They walked, lifting him off the ground, otherwise the comrades walking behind could push him away.
9. Eorpator
One of the earliest dinosaurs. Lived during the Triassic period almost 230 million years ago. He was very small, only 1 meter in length, and weighed only 10 kilograms. Almost like a dog. He was a predator, so, of course, it’s better not to keep one like that as a pet.
10. Compsognathus
One of the smallest dinosaurs. This baby was less than a meter long, usually 60-70 centimeters, and weighed up to 3 kilograms. Like a cat. True, he has more teeth than a cat - 68! It’s clear that you don’t need so many teeth to chew grass. It was a predator. Very harmful, like any small predators. Given its small size, it needed to live in a pack. Alone, such kids have little chance of a good hunt, and defending themselves in a crowd is more fun. It ate lizards and insects. He had a very mobile neck, like an owl's, he could rotate it in a very large radius. The long tail helped him keep his balance when running fast. He ran on two hind legs, his front legs were short. He probably used them to hold his prey while eating, like a hamster. These little buggers also took part in Jurassic Park 2. The man was eaten. Mercenary.
Amazing and mysterious animals -. Despite the fact that people were unable to recognize their existence, the remains of dinosaurs were forever preserved in the geological deposits of the Earth, on the pages of scientific and fiction literature, and in our imagination.
The period separating humans and dinosaurs is 230 million years.
Of course, knowledge about these incredible creatures is available thanks to the painstaking work of scientists around the world, collecting information bit by bit.
Many discoveries and discoveries have allowed us to restore the appearance of animals, design their behavior, determine the type of food and relationships with relatives.
In today's article, we invite you to get acquainted with the largest representatives of dinosaurs and evaluate their size and appearance.
The unusual name came to us from the Nahuatl language, and translated means “feathered serpent” - the deity of the Aztecs and other tribes of Central America.
Today, Quetzalcoatlus is the only large representative of the pterosaur order.
Flying lizards lived at the end of the Cretaceous period - 69-65 million years ago.
The weight of quetzalcoatlus reached 250 kg, body length - 7 m. The wingspan of the feathered dinosaur was 12 meters.
They presumably ate carrion, and rarely small animals. They had a long beak and sharp teeth, which allowed them to absorb rough food without difficulty.
Quetzalcoatli were distributed in the United States, Texas.
The name of this species of ancient lizard comes from two Greek words “flesh” and “crocodile”. However, Sarcosuchus does not belong to the order of crocodilians.
It is considered the largest crocodile-like reptile that lived in the Cretaceous period.
The body length of Sarcosuchus could reach 15 meters, and the weight ranged from 8 to 14 tons. The dimensions of the skull were also gigantic - 1.6 m.
The huge Sarcosuchus had a powerful jaw, the strength of which was 15-20 tons.
These dinosaurs ate aquatic animals, fish and other lizards.
Scientists have determined that they lived in the territory of modern Africa.
Spinosaurus literally means “spined lizard.” Spinosaurus received this name due to the structure of the body and skin.
They lived in the Cretaceous period - 112-93.5 million years ago - on the territory of modern North Africa.
Spinosaurs mastered both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Among their carnivorous relatives, they had the largest skull. Body weight could be from 9 to 12 tons, length - 15-18 meters.
Spinosaurus is easy to recognize: the sail-shaped vertebral processes especially stand out in its appearance. They also had well-developed forelimbs, which helped them hold the prey.
Scientists believe that the favorite delicacy of spinosaurs were stingrays.
The remains were first found in Egypt in 1915. It was they who allowed the German paleontologist E. Stromer to compile a detailed description.
Shantungosaurus is a hadrosaurus found in Shandong Province, China, during the Late Cretaceous period.
It is considered the largest representative of ornithischian dinosaurs.
The herbivorous Shantungosaurus could reach 15-17 meters in length and 15-20 tons in weight.
The dinosaur's beak was toothless, but the jaws themselves had about 1,500 tiny teeth designed for grinding food.
Near the nostrils there was a hole covered with a membrane. By inflating it, Shantungosaurus could make sounds.
The unusual name, derived from its long neck and tail, translates to “double beam.”
A giant representative of lizard-hipped dinosaurs that existed in the Jurassic period.
Diplodocus had very impressive dimensions: height - 10 m, body length - 28-32 m, weight - 20-30 tons. 4 powerful legs helped him move, and his tail created balance.
Some researchers, for example, believe that the tail could also serve for communication between individuals in a flock. But its main purpose is protection from predators.
Diplodocus fed on vegetation, algae and small mollusks. The dinosaur's poorly developed teeth only allowed it to grind food, not chew it.
Shonisaurus is considered the largest fish lizard, or ichthyosaur. They existed in the Late Triassic period - 250-90 million years ago, hiding in the depths of the ocean.
The dimensions of shonisaurs were enormous: length - 12-14 m, weight - 30-40 tons. The skull reached 2 meters and had narrow jaws.
Most likely, they were hunters, preferring large fish.
The largest burial was found in Nevada in 1920. While mining for gold and silver, miners came across a giant skeleton.
All remains found belong to adults.
Sauroposeidon are giant sauropods that existed during the Cretaceous period - 125-100 million years ago.
From Greek, the name of this dinosaur is translated as “lizard of Poseidon.”
The four-legged herbivore had gigantic dimensions: the length of the body reached 31-34 meters, and the weight of the lizard was 60 tons.
In the list of the tallest dinosaurs, Sauroposeidon would take second place, since its height, including its elongated neck, is 20 m.
Female sauroposeidons laid hundreds of eggs, but, unfortunately, a catastrophically small number survived: 3-4 individuals. This is due to the fact that after hatching, the babies faced many dangers: apart from their size, they had no other protection.
Young sauroposeidons lived independently in forests, feeding around the clock to grow. Only upon reaching a certain size were they accepted into the flock.
This type of lizard was discovered quite recently - 1994, Oklahoma, USA. Unusual remains were discovered in the prison yard. Moreover, the vertebrae initially found were mistaken for the trunk of a huge tree.
The dinosaur acquired such an unusual name thanks to the dialect of the local Mapudungun languages. Translated as “chief giant”.
Futalognokosaurs lived in the Upper Cretaceous period - 94-85 million years ago - on the territory of modern South America.
Futalognokosaurs grew up to 15 meters in height, 32-35 meters in length, and their weight reached 80 tons.
The remains of these giants were also discovered recently - 2000, Neuquen province, Argentina.
Argentinosaurus is one of the largest dinosaurs that lived in South America.
Apparently, they didn’t think long about the name of this species: that’s what they called it, “lizard from Argentina.”
Individuals of Argentinosaurs could grow to unimaginable sizes: body length - 22-35 m, weight of the lizard - 60-110 tons.
They had a long neck. The 4 limbs were approximately the same in size - they used them to move. The ability to stand on two legs, shown in films about the Argentinosaurus, is controversial, since the size of the front legs and the volume of the body most likely would not have allowed him to do this.
The giants' diet consisted of leaves of tall trees and other vegetation of the Cretaceous period. In order to grind the food in the stomach, they swallowed stones.
Mamenchisaurus are herbivorous sauropods. They existed in the Upper Jurassic period on the territory of modern East Asia about 145 million years ago.
Mamenchisaurs had the longest neck, reaching a length of 15 m. All the vertebrae in the neck, and there were about 19 of them, were fastened by rows of ligaments, thanks to which the neck was strong and motionless.
The entire bony skeleton was strong and had little mass due to the cavities in each bone.
The body length of the Mamenchisaurus was 25 meters, the weight of the lizards could be from 60 to 120 tons.
Despite the gigantic body size, the head of dinosaurs was small. They moved on 4 legs and ate leaves and other vegetation.
Amphicoelias – ever existing on the planet. Belongs to the genus of herbivorous giants.
The body length was 40-65 m, body weight reached 160 tons.
The cervical vertebrae were extremely light and allowed the amphicelias to support its neck. The head was small, and the huge body was clumsy, which is why these dinosaurs became easy prey for predatory lizards.
Such large amphicelias had to eat a lot, but this also had negative consequences: they ate so many plants that after them many places became uninhabitable.
Amphicelias is the first discovered species of herbivorous dinosaur. The remains, or rather the only vertebral fragment found, were discovered in 1878 by archaeologist E. Kop.
Research by scientists has shown that Amphicelias is not only the largest dinosaur, but also the largest creature that has ever existed on the planet.
The largest and heaviest dinosaurs that lived in the Mesozoic era(252-66 million years ago), there were sauropods - four-legged herbivorous dinosaurs with long necks and tails. Sauropods fed on vegetation; with the help of a long neck, which was balanced by a massive tail, they reached the upper branches of trees and lowered their heads to the ground to drink water without moving their huge bodies.
The average weight of sauropods was 15-20 tons, but lizard-hipped dinosaurs from the group of titanosaurs, which lived in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods (171-66 million years ago), grew to gigantic sizes - up to 70 tons or more. Find out which dinosaurs are on the list of TOP 5 largest dinosaurs.
Fifth place - Apatosaurus or brontosaurus (Apatosaurus)
Apatosaurus is a genus of giant lizard-hipped sauropods that lived in North America in the Late Jurassic, 157-146 million years ago. Apatosaurus is a member of the Diplodocidae family, which includes the longest dinosaurs, including Diplodocus, Supersaurus and Barosaurus. "Apatosaurus" means "deceptive lizard" in Greek, as its fossils are similar to those of other sauropods. Apatosaurus is also known as "brontosaurus".
Apatosaurus was a massive herbivorous dinosaur that reached 22-28 m in length, up to 5 m in height and weighed 33-72 tons. It had four powerful massive legs, a long tail, neck and a small skull in relation to the size of the body. The tail is long and thin, since the vertebrae of the spine narrowed sharply from the hips.
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Brontosaurs lived near river banks, where they found water and vegetation. They fed mainly on low-growing plants, but with the help of their long flexible neck they reached high branches of trees. The tooth-shaped teeth did not allow them to chew food, so they swallowed it (about 400 kg every day).
Fourth place – Mamenchisaurus
Mamenchisaurus is a genus of sauropod from the family Mamenchisauridae, which lived in China from 160 to 145 million years ago, in the Late Jurassic period. "Mamenchisaurus" means "lizard from Mamenxi" (from the Greek saurus - lizard). The long, muscular neck of Mamenchisaurus accounted for half the entire length of the body; its skeleton contained 19 cervical vertebrae, more than other dinosaurs. This Asian sauropod had spade-shaped teeth suitable for chewing rough plant material, including seed ferns, mosses, mosses and horsetails. Mamenchisaurus consumed about 500 kg of food per day.
The genus Mamenchisaurus includes 6 species: M. constructus, M. hochuanensis, M. sinocanadorum, M. youngi, M. anyuensis, M. jingyanensis, M. yunnanensis. The largest species, M. sinocanadorum, reached 35 m in length with a long neck of 17 m and weighed between 50 and 75 tons.
Third place – Puertasaurus
Puertasaurus is a genus of titanosaur from southern Patagonia (Argentina) that existed between 100 and 94 million years ago. The only species of this genus, Puertasaurus reuili, belongs to the Lognkosauria clade, a group of giant sauropod dinosaurs that lived during the Upper (Late) Cretaceous period in South America. Puertasaurs have a wide chest (5-8 m), which made them the most voluminous dinosaurs. They had a thick flexible neck, with which they bent to reach high tree branches without moving their whole body.
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Puertasaurus had spikes on its back that protruded from its sides. Paleontologists estimate the length of this lizard at 35-40 m, and weight 80-100 tons. Later estimates show 30 m in length and mass 60-70 tons.
Second place – Patagotitan
Patagotitan was a massive, long-necked titanosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous, between 100 and 95 million years ago in Patagonia, Argentina. The area was a wooded area with large coniferous trees, flowering plants, ferns and meandering rivers.
This genus of sauropod belongs to the Lognkosauria clade and contains a single species, Patagotitan mayorum. The species' scientific name means "Patagonia titan"; the word “mayorum” was given in honor of the Mayo family, the owners of the farm where the fossils of this huge lizard were excavated.
At 70 tons, heavier than 10 adult African elephants, Patagotitan is considered the largest titanosaur species. It was 37 m long and 6 m high to the shoulder. The Patagotitans lived in a warm climate on the plains and used lakes as watering holes.
The largest dinosaur is the Argentinosaurus.
The heaviest and longest land animal is the Argentinosaurus, a giant titanosaur that lived in Argentina from 97 to 93.5 million years ago, during the Upper Cretaceous era. Like Puertasaurus and Patagotitin, Argentinosaurus is a member of the group Lognkosauria. The genus name translates as “Argentine lizard.” Its size reached from 35 to 40 m in length, 7.3 m in height to the shoulder and weighed 80-100 tons.
Any person imagines a dinosaur in the form of a ferocious lizard of terrifying size, grinning a huge mouth and destroying everything in its path. Indeed, most ancient reptiles had gigantic sizes that boggle the imagination. This is evidenced by numerous finds of individual fragments and even entire skeletons of fossil lizards. However, not all dinosaurs were giants; among them there were certain species that nature, as if in mockery, endowed with the height of a chicken. These tiny creatures darted in numerous flocks among the thickets of relict ferns, trying not to get under the feet of their huge relatives and looking for even smaller prey.
Why did scientists know so little about these amazing little creatures until recently? It was their short stature that played a cruel joke on them. The bones of these dinosaurs were so light and fragile that they did not stand the test of time and have practically not survived to the present day. Only isolated finds allowed these small reptiles to make themselves known.
This lizard gained fame as the smallest predator of the Jurassic period. Its length did not exceed a meter, and its weight reached only two kilograms. It walked on fast hind legs, had a long tail and a movable head. The nimble dinosaur hunted insects and lizards. A total of three Compsognathus skeletons were found. Two of them were discovered in Europe in the mid-nineteenth and late twentieth centuries, and one skeleton was preserved in Russia and was found as recently as 2010. Thanks to these finds, scientists were able to restore the appearance and habits of the fossil dinosaur.
Nquebasaurus
The only fragment of the skeleton of this lizard was found in 2000 in Africa, near the Sahara Desert. Most likely the remains belonged to a cub. The structural features of these lizards include the presence of long fingers, which made it possible to capture prey. The so-called stomach stones, which are usually intended for grinding plant foods, are preserved in the intestines. This allowed scientists to conclude that Nkwebasaurs were omnivorous. The dinosaur did not exceed a meter in length and was a contemporary of Compsognathus.
Scipionyx
The perfectly preserved skeleton of this lizard was found in Italy at the end of the twentieth century. The skeleton, which belonged to a baby dinosaur, pleased scientists with an extensive base for research, because the fossilized remains preserved the structure of not only the soft tissues of the animal, but also its internal organs. Most likely, the lizard's body was covered with primitive feathers. It walked on its hind legs, supporting its body with its tail. The size of adult individuals, according to scientists, reached two meters. The dinosaur lived in the Cretaceous period and was a predator. In any case, among the undigested food remains, scientists found lizards and fish.
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