Biggest Sauropods

Rex Fan 684
MemberCompsognathusAugust 16, 20132540 Views5 RepliesThis entire discussion is based almost entirely on theories and estimations.
So, what is the biggest sauropod and, by default, the biggest land animal ever? Well, Argentinosaurus is the largest sauropod known from decent remains.
[img]http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/076/3/8/argentinosaurus_by_Gonzalezaurus.jpg[/img]
It reached an estimated 80-120 ft in length and most estimates put it's weight in the 90-120 ton range. Certainly huge.
[img]http://www.joetucciarone.com/dino_sizes.gif[/img]
(Theropod is Tyrannosaurus)
But what about those "mystery" sauropods? One's that are known from poor remains or fossils that are now lost? Perhaps the most notorious is Amphicoelias.
[img]http://www.dd-lib.net/ckk/1_30_2008_for_kawa/img/1233574695_52707846.jpg[/img]
Estimates for this dinosaur run wild. The length varies from 100-200 ft and it's weight can be anywhere between 100 and 200 tons. Should the upper estimates prove to be true, it would rival the blue whale in size.
[img]http://www.handsontheland.org/garden-park/data/images/Things/fragillimus_altus_size_chart.png[/img]
However, because the only fossils of this dinosaur are now lost, it's often disregarded and Argentinosaurus usually gets the credit for being the largest land animal.
Then, there's the equally problematic Ultrasauros. But the reason it's problematic is not it's fossil remains, but the name. Here's the backstory...
Giant bones were discovered in western N. America and the discoverer unofficially named it Ultrasaurus. Then, a scientist discovered another sauropod in S. Korea and named it Ultrasaurus(it was a mere 50 or so ft in length). But he named the smaller Ultrasaurus first(officially). So the scientist that discovered the American sauropod renamed it Ultrasauros, creative right?
So, with that out of the way, let's get down to the size of Ultrasauros. It's been given the proportions of a diplodocid or a brachiosaurid.
Diplodocid
[img]http://www.anthrosaurs.com/S/Supersaurus.jpg[/img]
Should it be a diplodocid, it would be around 100-140 ft, but only weighed about 50 tons. Big, but not the biggest.
Brachiosaurid
[img]http://m1.paperblog.com/i/2/20971/sauroposeidon-L-1.jpeg[/img]
Should it be a brachiosaurid, it would be around 80-100 ft long, but weigh over 90-130 tons. In the running for largest land animal.
So what do you guys think. Please, no arguing or anything like that. Simply state your thoughts.
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