In Depth
Patagotitan is a genus of titanosaurian dinosaur that lived in South America towards the end of the Early Cretaceous. Titanosaurs are often known by only a handful of fossils, but Patagotitan has proved to be an exception. At the time of writing Patagotitan is known from the partial post cranial remains of at least six individuals, and these include remains of vertebrae (neck, back and tail), ribs, shoulders, front and back limbs. The large size of these bones has led to some crediting Patagotitan as the largest dinosaur ever, but this statement is highly speculative. The original describers estimated Patagotitan to have grown to about thirty-seven meters, though others have suggested less, and others more. Future discoveries and studies may well lead to further revisions.
Further Reading
- A new giant titanosaur sheds light on body mass evolution among sauropod dinosaurs. - Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 284:20171219:1-10. - J. L. Carballido, D. Pol, A. Otero, I. A. Cerda, L. Salgado, A. C. Garrido, J. Ramezani, N. R. C�neo & J. M. Krause - 2017.
