Measurements of bones from its hind leg and foreleg revealed that the animal was 65 tons, and still growing when it died in the Patagonian hills of Argentina about 77 million years ago. The vertebrae along the backbone of Argentinosaurus, a titanosaur that some claim to be the biggest of dinosaurs, are larger than those of Dreadnoughtus, but crucial bones needed to estimate its mass accurately have not yet been found.
– Introducing the new king of the dinosaurs, at least in terms of size. Researchers in the Patagonia region of Argentina found a brute they've named Dreadnoughtus, and they're laying claim to it being the largest land animal whose size can be accurately measured—thanks mainly to the fact that they found 70% of a skeleton. Some highlights of the study in Scientific Reports. Dimensions: It was 85 feet long and weighed 130,000 pounds. Dreadnoughtus had a 37-foot-long neck that enabled the plant-eater to feast without having to move around much. Also: It was still growing when it died about 77 million years ago. Context: "To put [the dino's 65-ton size] in perspective, an African elephant is about five tons, T. rex is eight tons, Diplodocus is 18 tons, and a Boeing 737 is around 50 tons," says study author Kenneth Lacovara of Drexel University in the Washington Post. Demise: The big guy and a smaller companion got stuck in something akin to quicksand, which is why the bones are so well preserved. Name: Dreadnoughtus means "fear nothing." The full name is Dreadnoughtus schrani, with "schrani" an homage to tech entrepreneur Adam Schran, who helped fund the research, notes the New York Times. New king coming? Maybe. Researchers think a cousin in the titanosaur group named Argentinosaurus might have been bigger, reports Discovery. They just need to collect enough bones to prove it. Another recent study says a meteor strike's "bad timing" is to blame for dinosaurs' mass extinction.