Temporal range: Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian to Turonian), 96.2–92.19 Ma
PreꞒ
Ꞓ
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
↓
Reconstructed skeleton, Museo Municipal Carmen Funes, Plaza Huincul, Argentina. The original vertebrae are seen on the lower left
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Clade:
Dinosauria
Clade:
Saurischia
Clade:
†Sauropodomorpha
Clade:
†Sauropoda
Clade:
†Macronaria
Clade:
†Titanosauria
Clade:
†Lognkosauria
Genus:
†Argentinosaurus Bonaparte & Coria, 1993
Type species
†Argentinosaurus huinculensis
Bonaparte & Coria, 1993
Argentinosaurus is a genus of giant sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now Argentina. Although it is only known from fragmentary remains, Argentinosaurus is one of the largest known land animals of all time, perhaps the largest, measuring 30–35 metres (98–115 ft) long and weighing 65–80 tonnes (72–88 short tons). It was a member of Titanosauria, the dominant group of sauropods during the Cretaceous. It is widely regarded by many paleontologists as the biggest dinosaur ever, and perhaps lengthwise the longest animal ever, though both claims have no concrete evidence yet.
The first Argentinosaurus bone was discovered in 1987 by a farmer on his farm near the city of Plaza Huincul. A scientific excavation of the site led by the Argentine palaeontologist José Bonaparte was conducted in 1989, yielding several back vertebrae and parts of a sacrum—fused vertebrae between the back and tail vertebrae. Additional specimens include a complete femur (thigh bone) and the shaft of another. Argentinosaurus was named by Bonaparte and the Argentine palaeontologist Rodolfo Coria in 1993; the genus contains a single species, A. huinculensis. The generic name Argentinosaurus means "Argentine lizard", and the specific name huinculensis refers to its place of discovery, Plaza Huincul.
The fragmentary nature of Argentinosaurus remains makes their interpretation difficult. Arguments revolve around the position of the recovered vertebrae within the vertebral column and the presence of accessory articulations between the vertebrae that would have strengthened the spine. A computer model of the skeleton and muscles estimated this dinosaur had a maximum speed of 7 km/h (5 mph) with a pace, a gait where the fore and hind limb of the same side of the body move simultaneously. The fossils of Argentinosaurus were recovered from the Huincul Formation, which was deposited in the middle Cenomanian to early Turonian ages (about 96 to 92 million years ago) and contains a diverse dinosaur fauna including the giant theropod Mapusaurus.
was still uncertain whether any of these femora belonged to Argentinosaurus. Argentinosaurus is among the largest known land animals, although its exact...
of Patagotitan and Argentinosaurus' vertebrae, noting that the former was largely empty space. In other studies, Argentinosaurus has been estimated at...
to have ever lived on land. Well-known genera include Apatosaurus, Argentinosaurus, Alamosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Camarasaurus, Diplodocus, and Mamenchisaurus...
sauropod. Length estimates by researchers exceed those of the titanosaur Argentinosaurus, as longer than 35 metres (115 ft) and weighing over 80 tonnes. A 2023...
animals that ever lived were titanosaur sauropod dinosaurs such as Argentinosaurus, which may have weighed as much as 73 tonnes, and Supersaurus which...
including the only specimen of the largest recorded dinosaur remains, Argentinosaurus huinculensis, and the only known sauropod embryos, which were discovered...
discovered in the 1970s or later, and include the massive titanosaur Argentinosaurus huinculensis, which is the largest dinosaur known from uncontroversial...
reduced in Argentinosaurus to only two ridges, and is fully absent in taxa like Opisthocoelicaudia and Saltasaurus. Both Argentinosaurus and Epachthosaurus...
vertebrae and limb bones indicate that it reached sizes comparable to Argentinosaurus and Puertasaurus, which would make it the absolute largest dinosaur...
The Museo Municipal Carmen Funes in Plaza Huincul, Argentina, has an Argentinosaurus reconstructed skeleton mount that is 39.7 meters (130 ft) long. There...
Enantiornithine (in "Now with Feathers!"), Morris Stegosaurus, Mr. Argentinosaurus, Mr. Daspletosaurus, Mr. Elasmosaurus, Quentin Qianzhousaurus, Stuart...
from the Huincul Formation alongside two other gigantic titanosaurs, Argentinosaurus and Chucarosaurus. The three are not closely related to one another...
belongs to the Sarmienti Formation. Fossils of the mid-Cretaceous Argentinosaurus, which may be the largest of all dinosaurs, have been found in Patagonia...
worked together to take down large prey, such as the immense sauropod Argentinosaurus. If so, this would be the first substantive evidence of gregarious...
Futalognkosaurus, Patagotitan, Argentinosaurus, Notocolossus, Mendozasaurus, and Quetecsaurus. Many of these animals, such as Argentinosaurus and Patagotitan, were...
smaller than the estimated 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) length of the femur of Argentinosaurus. The forelimb was shorter than the hindlimb, with a humerus 78% the...
said that the largest fossils in the world are found there; such as Argentinosaurus, Giganotosaurus, and Mapusaurus. Plaza Huincul has an oil & gas refinery...
searches for the largest dinosaurs of all time. He encounters a herd of Argentinosaurus, one of the largest sauropod dinosaurs, and observes the long and drawn-out...
are known only from a few bones. The current record-holders include Argentinosaurus, which may have weighed 100 tonnes; Supersaurus which might have reached...
condition. For example, despite all being in the titanosaur clade, Argentinosaurus reached enormous sizes (~50 tons), while Saltasaurus and Magyarosaurus...
sauropods, like Supersaurus, Diplodocus hallorum, Patagotitan, and Argentinosaurus, reached 30–40 metres (98–131 ft) in length, and 60,000–100,000 kilograms...
includes the largest land animals to have ever existed on Earth, such as Argentinosaurus, Brachiosaurus, and Patagotitan. The clade "sauropodomorpha" was created...
Global Information
