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Argentinosaurus

By , About.com Guide

Argentinosaurus (Wikimedia Commons)

Name:

Argentinosaurus (Greek for "Argentina lizard"); pronounced ARE-jen-teen-oh-SORE-us

Habitat:

Forests of South America

Historical Period:

Middle Cretaceous (100-90 million years ago)

Size and Weight:

About 130 feet long and 110 tons

Diet:

Plants

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Enormous size; long neck; relatively small head

About Argentinosaurus:

As you can guess from its name, the remains of Argentinosaurus were dug up in present-day Argentina, in South America. To date, researchers haven't found an entire skeleton, but what they have found--four-foot long vertebrae and five-foot-long tibias--indicate that Argentinosaurus was a truly titanic sauropod (hence its classification as a "titanosaur"). See more facts, figures and news about Argentinosaurus

Interestingly, the remains of Argentinosaurus were dug up near the fossils of another huge dinosaur--the carnivorous Giganotosaurus. This has led paleontologists (and TV producers) to speculate that Giganotosauruses may have hunted Argentinosauruses in packs--a chase that would have been deadly for any smaller creatures that got in the way!

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