TORONTO – Don’t worry Dreadnoughtus. Size doesn’t really matter.
In 2014, the most complete giant sauropod dinosaur, the Dreadnoughtus, was discovered by paleontologists in South American. Because the fossil was in such great condition, scientists were able to calculate its size: about 26 metres long.
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Using a method based on the size of thigh and arm bones to determine how massive this animal likely was, the scientists figured on average the Dreadnoughtus weighed about 60 tonnes.
However, scientists from the University of Liverpool, together with Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Manchester and Imperial College, re-evaluated the initial findings. They made the decision to re-evaluate after other sauropod dinosaurs that were marginally smaller than the Dreadnoughtus weighed a lot less than 60 tonnes.
They concluded that it’s more likely that the Dreadnoughtus weighed between 30 to 40 tonnes.
The new findings were reached after scientists used a new three-dimensional modelling technique. The study appeared in the journal Biology Letters.
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