The biggest land animals today pale in comparison to their prehistoric ancestors.
Millions of years ago, massive giants roamed the planets.
Although not all of them were dinosaurs, the dinosaurs were arguably the biggest and baddest beasts Earth has ever seen.
They ranged in size from small, chicken-sized creatures to massive ones the size of airplanes.
Some also towered high, with long necks that could reach up to story buildings.
The last of the giant dinosaurs died off about 66 million years ago.
But occasionally, paleontologists find relics of the prehistoric past that give us an idea of just how big these creatures grew.
In this article, we reveal the top 15 biggest dinosaurs ever discovered.
15. Utahraptor
| Name | Utah Raptor |
| Name Meaning | Utah’s predator |
| Pronunciation | Yoo-tah-rap-tore |
| Era | Mesozoic – Early Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia, Theropoda |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Height | 1.5 m (4.9 ft) |
| Length | 4.9–5.5 m (16–18 ft) |
| Weight | 280–300 kg (617–661 lb) |
| Location | USA (North America) |
Raptors or dromaeosaurids were feathered dinosaurs quite abundant during the Cretaceous Period.
Although they were mostly medium-sized, a few of them grew to become dominant giants in their habitats.
The Utahraptor is one such giant raptor.
Currently regarded as the largest dromaeosaurid dinosaur, the bipedal Utahraptor lived in North America from 135 to 130 million years ago.
Length estimates for this dinosaur range between 4.9 and 5.5 meters (16–18 feet), with a mass of about 280 to 300 kilograms (620–660 pounds).
It was a ferocious predator known for its massive killing claws that were up to 22 centimeters (8.7 inches) long.
14. Titanoceratops
| Name | Titanoceratops |
| Name Meaning | Giant horned face |
| Pronunciation | Ty-tuh-noh-SAIR-uh-tops |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Ornithischia & Ceratopsia |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) |
| Length | 7–9 meters (23–30 feet) |
| Weight | 5–6 tons (11,000–13,200 lbs) |
| Location | USA (North America) |
A relative of the more popular Triceratops, the Titanoceratops was the biggest ceratopsian dinosaur, a family of large herbivorous dinosaurs known for their massive neck frills and giant horns.
It lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous Period.
Rightly named after the Greek Titan gods, Titanoceratops had an estimated weight of about 6.55 tons and average length of 6.8 meters (22.3 feet).
Although it wasn’t as big as the sauropods that lived earlier, the Titanoceratops were arguably the biggest land animals in North America at some point.
This massive beast also had one of the longest skulls of any known land animal.
13. Spinosaurus
| Name | Spinosaurus |
| Name Meaning | Spine lizard |
| Pronunciation | Spy-noh-SAWR-uhs |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia, Theropoda |
| Diet | Carnivorous, possibly piscivorous |
| Height | 4-5 meters (13-16 feet) |
| Length | 14-18 meters (46-59 feet) |
| Weight | 7-9 tons (15,400-19,800 lbs) |
| Location | Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt (Africa) |
The spined lizard was an enormous meat-eating dinosaur that lived in Africa during the Late Cretaceous Period.
The dinosaur’s name references the tall vertebral spines, which formed a giant, sail-like feature on its back.
With a length of about 14 meters (46 feet), Spinosaurus was the longest terrestrial carnivore based on available records and arguably the largest meat-eating animal to have ever lived.
But the dinosaur probably didn’t spend its entire life on land.
Evidence suggests that the Spinosaurus spent much of its time in semi-aquatic environments and may have been capable of swimming.
It fed on fish but was also capable of killing terrestrial prey as well.
12. Magnapaulia
| Name | Magnapaulia |
| Name Meaning | Large little one |
| Pronunciation | Mag-nah-pawl-e-ah |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Ornithischia, Ornithopoda |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 4.5 m (14.8 ft) |
| Length | 15–16.5 meters (49–54 feet) |
| Weight | 8 metric tons (17,000 lbs) |
| Location | Mexico (North America) |
Magnapaulia belongs to the family of dinosaurs known as the hadrosaurids.
Members of this dinosaur family are known for their snout, which was modified into massive beaks.
They’re herbivores with a stout or stocky build.
Magnapaulia is the largest member of this family and one of the largest herbivorous dinosaurs of Late Cretaceous North America.
The estimated size of this dinosaur is between 15 and 16.5 meters (49–54 feet), and it might have weighed as much as eight metric tons (17,000 pounds).
In addition to its massive size, the Magnapaulia had a tail profile characterized by elongated chevron-shaped bones and vertebral spines.
11. Tyrannosaurus
| Name | Tyrannosaurus |
| Name Meaning | Tyrant lizard |
| Pronunciation | Tie-RAN-oh-SAWR-uhs |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia, Theropoda |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Height | 4–6 meters (13–20 feet) |
| Length | 12–15 meters (40–50 feet) |
| Weight | 5–8 tons (11,000–18,000 lbs) |
| Location | United States and Canada (North America) |
When most people think of massive dinosaurs, the ferocious T. rex typically comes to mind.
Once assumed to be the biggest carnivorous dinosaur to have ever lived, the discovery of larger species like the Giganotosaurus and Spinosaurus has displaced the T. rex.
Still, this large bipedal theropod holds the title of the biggest tyrannosaur dinosaur ever found.
It also remains one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs of Cretaceous North America.
The biggest T. rex was between 12.3 and 12.4 meters (40.4–40.7 feet) long and weighed about 8.87 metric tons.
The T. rex had one of the most massive skulls of all known land animals, which could deliver an estimated bite force of about 35,000 newtons.
This is higher than the bite force of any other terrestrial predator.
10. Giraffatitan
| Name | Giraffatitan |
| Name Meaning | Giraffe titan |
| Pronunciation | Juh-RAF-uh-tie-tan |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Jurassic |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia, Sauropoda |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 12 meters (40 feet) |
| Length | 21-23 meters (69-75 feet) |
| Weight | 30-40 tons (66,000 lbs—88,000 lbs) |
| Location | Tanzania (Africa) |
When it was discovered in 1906, the Giraffatitan was considered the largest dinosaur ever found and retained that title for several years.
While it has since been replaced by other obviously bigger dinosaurs, it is still one of the biggest to have ever lived.
The sauropod lived in Tanzania during the Late Jurassic Period.
Estimates for this dinosaur’s size show that it was about 23 meters (75 feet) long and might have weighed up to 40 tons.
These estimates are based on a subadult individual, which means the Giraffatitan was probably bigger.
The dinosaur’s name is a reference to its giraffe-like build characterized by very long forelimbs, a long neck, and a small head.
9. Diplodocus
| Name | Diplodocus |
| Name Meaning | Double beam |
| Pronunciation | Dip-loh-DOH-kus |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Jurassic |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia, Sauropoda |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 4-5 meters (13-16 feet) |
| Length | 24–26 meters (79–85 feet) |
| Weight | 10–16 tons (22,046-35,274 lbs) |
| Location | Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Oklahoma (North America) |
Diplodocus is one of the most recognizable dinosaurs among the long-necked herbivorous dinosaurs.
This giant lived in mid-western North America during the Jurassic Period (155.7 million to 150.8 million years ago).
Diplodocus is currently recognized as the longest dinosaur based on near-complete fossils.
While there are other worthy contenders that may qualify for the title, most of them have incomplete fossils, making it difficult to estimate their true size.
A total length of about 24 to 26 meters (79–85 feet) has been estimated for this dinosaur.
The most distinctive feature of the Diplodocus was its extremely long and flexible tail, which accounts for most of its length.
The neck was also quite long, reaching lengths of about 21 feet in some species.
8. Futalognkosaurus
| Name | Futalognkosaurus |
| Name Meaning | Giant chief lizard |
| Pronunciation | Foo-tuh-LOGN-ko-SAWR-uhs |
| Era | Mesozoic -Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia, Sauropoda |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 7–8 meters (23–26 feet) |
| Length | 26–33 meters (85–108 feet) |
| Weight | 30–40 tons (66,139-88,185 lbs) |
| Location | Argentina (South America) |
The long-necked Futalognkosaurus was a titanosaurian dinosaur native to South America.
It lived in parts of present-day Argentina about 87 million years ago and was one of the largest dinosaurs around.
Futalognkosaurus is better preserved in the fossil record than most of the other titanosaurian dinosaurs.
Ironically, estimating this dinosaur’s true size has been difficult because most of its tail is missing.
Size estimates for the Futalognkosaurus range from 26 to 34 meters (85–112 feet) in length, and it weighed between 43.5 and 51 tons.
To add to its distinctive look, the dinosaur had long, neural spines along its neck and back.
7. Brachiosaurus
| Name | Brachiosaurus |
| Name Meaning | Arm lizard |
| Pronunciation | Brak-ee-oh-SAWR-uhs |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Jurassic |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia, Sauropoda |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 12–13 meters (39–43 feet) |
| Length | 18–22 meters (59–72 feet) |
| Weight | 28–46 tons (61,000–100,000lbs) |
| Location | USA (North America) |
When the first fossil of the Brachiosaurus was discovered in the 1900s, scientists thought it was too big to be a land animal.
Subsequent studies and the discovery of additional fossils have revealed that the Brachiosaurus was one of the largest land animals to have ever lived.
Native to the American continent, Brachiosaurus was around during the Late Jurassic Period from 154 to 150 million years ago.
Estimates of this dinosaur’s length range between 18 and 22 meters (59–72 feet), with a body mass of about 28.3 to 46.9 tons.
These size estimates are based on subadult fossils, so adults may have been bigger than this.
Brachiosaurus is known for its long neck, small skull, wide torso, and forelimbs that were disproportionately longer than the hindlimbs.
6. Sauroposeidon
| Name | Sauroposeidon |
| Name Meaning | Poseidon lizard |
| Pronunciation | SAW-roh-po-SYE-don |
| Era | Mesozoic – Early Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia, Sauropoda |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 18–20 meters (59–66 feet) |
| Length | 27–30 meters (89-98 feet) |
| Weight | 44–66 tons (97,000–145,000 lbs) |
| Location | United States (North America) |
Sauroposeidon lived during the Early Cretaceous Period and was one of the last giant sauropods known from the North American continent.
Although the first fossil of this dinosaur was discovered in 1999, it was not studied immediately because the large bone was wrongly identified as petrified wood due to its size.
The Sauroposeidon was arguably the largest animal in its ecosystem.
But the most interesting thing about this dinosaur was its height.
It had a 40-foot-long neck which allowed it to reach heights of up to 55 feet from the ground.
Based on this estimate, the Sauroposeidon was arguably the tallest dinosaur to have ever lived.
However, it isn’t certain if this dinosaur was able to hold its neck at full vertical height for long, as this would place enormous demands on its height.
5. Paralititan
| Name | Paralititan |
| Name Meaning | Tidal giant |
| Pronunciation | Par-uh-LIE-tan |
| Era | Mesozoic – Early Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia, Sauropoda |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 5–6 meters (16–20 feet) |
| Length | 26–30 meters (85–98 feet) |
| Weight | 50-60 tons (110,231-132,277 lbs) |
| Location | Egypt (North Africa) |
Paralititan lived in the coastal swamps of prehistoric Egypt during the Cretaceous Period between 99.6 and 93.5 million years ago.
The dinosaur’s name, which translates as the tidal giant, is a reference to this unique habitat.
It was one of the largest land animals on the continent.
So far, very little is known about the Egyptian giant due to limited fossils.
But the humerus (upper arm bones) recovered so far reached lengths of up to 1.6 meters.
This is the longest-known humerus of any sauropod dinosaur.
Based on this bone and other fragmentary remains, the length of this dinosaur has been estimated to be between 26 and 30 meters (86–100 feet), with weight estimates of 59 tons.
4. Patagotitan
| Name | Patagotitan |
| Name Meaning | Patagonian titan |
| Pronunciation | Pah-tuh-go-TIE-tan |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia, Sauropoda |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 5–6 meters (16–20 feet) |
| Length | 31 meters (102 feet) |
| Weight | 50–57 tons (100,000–114,000 lbs) |
| Location | Argentina (South America) |
The Patagotitan was discovered in Patagonia, a region of Argentina known for numerous fossil discoveries.
The massive titanosaur was named after this region.
It lived roughly 100 million years ago and was one of the largest dinosaurs to have ever walked the planet.
Although estimates of its size vary, Patagotitan was at least 31 meters (102 feet) long and weighed between 50 and 57 tons on average.
That’s up to 10 times the size of an African elephant
Patagotitan was discovered relatively recently (2014), so a lot of details about this dinosaur’s life are still under research.
The dinosaur is known from 84 pieces of skeleton of the same size, making it one of the most complete titanosaurs ever found.
3. Alamosaurus
| Name | Alamosaurus |
| Name Meaning | Alamo lizard |
| Pronunciation | Al-uh-moh-SAWR-uhs |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia, Sauropoda |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 7.6 meters (25 feet) |
| Length | 22–30 meters (72–98 feet) |
| Weight | 30-40 tons (66,000–88,000 lbs) |
| Location | Mexico and USA (North America) |
Alamosaurus was the biggest dinosaur ever discovered in North America.
It lived in the southwestern end of the continent during the Late Cretaceous Period.
Aside from the fact that it towered high above any predator that may have tried to attack it, this massive dinosaur also had armored plates covering parts of its body, providing additional protection.
Given a total length of more than 30 meters (98 feet) and an approximate weight of 30 to 40 tons, the Alamosaurus probably had no natural enemy big enough to take it on.
It did live with some of the planet’s most formidable predators—the tyrannosaurs.
There are speculations that the Tyrannosaurus could have killed or at least scavenged the remains of this massive herbivore.
This theory is due to the discovery of tyrannosaur teeth in association with some fossils of the Alamosaurus.
Since the Alamosaurus predates the T. rex, the tooth fossil probably belonged to another tyrannosaur apart from the T. rex.
2. Dreadnoughtus
| Name | Dreadnoughtus |
| Name Meaning | Fear nothing |
| Pronunciation | Dred-NAWT-uhs |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia, Sauropoda |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 6–8 meters (20–26 feet) |
| Length | 26–29 meters (85–95 feet) |
| Weight | 65 tons (130,000 lbs) |
| Location | Argentina (South America) |
Dreadnoughtus lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous approximately 76 million years ago.
It is considered one of the longest dinosaurs to have ever lived, with an estimated body length of over 85 feet.
Even more interesting is that experts think this estimate was for a relatively young individual and not a full-sized adult.
This means a fully mature Dreadnoughtus may have been longer than 85 feet.
With an estimated weight of over 65 tons, up to seven times that of the notorious Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur, the Dreadnoughtus would have had no reason to fear predators.
That’s why the dinosaur’s name translates as “fears nothing.”
Dreadnoughtus is one of the best-known giant dinosaurs, with up to 70% of its body preserved as fossils.
This provides a reasonably accurate picture of this dinosaur’s size and features.
1. Argentinosaurus
| Name | Argentinosaurus |
| Name Meaning | Argentine lizard |
| Pronunciation | Ar-gen-tee-no-SAWR-uhs |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Dinosauria, Saurischia, Sauropoda |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 7–8 meters (23–26 feet) |
| Length | 30–35 meters (98–115 feet) |
| Weight | 65–80 tons (130,000–160,000 lbs) |
| Location | Argentina (South America) |
This dinosaur is named after Argentina, the South American country where it lived approximately 97 to 94 million years ago.
Argentinosaurus holds the top spot, not just as the largest dinosaur but also as the largest land animal of all time.
Adult individuals reached lengths of about 30 to 35 meters (98–115 feet) and weighed about 65 to 80 tons.
It was a titanosaur, one of the last surviving groups of long-necked dinosaurs of the Cretaceous Period.
Members of this group grew to massive sizes and were among the largest dinosaurs to have ever lived.
Given its immense size, Argentinosaurus was likely an extremely slow-moving animal.
But with a long neck that reached heights of up to 70 feet, the Argentinosaurus had no trouble reaching into the canopy of tall trees for its food.
While no complete Argentinosaurus fossil has been discovered to date, the dinosaur is one of the few massive dinosaurs whose massive size estimates are backed up by convincing evidence.
Sources
- https://www.nature.com/articles/srep06196
- https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-patagotitan-earths-biggest-dinosaur/
- https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/s/Sauroposeidon.htm
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/f-is-for-futalognkosaurus-133681702/
- https://www.britannica.com/animal/Diplodocus
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giraffatitan
- https://eartharchives.org/articles/remember-the-alamosaurus-america-s-armored-dinosaur-titan/index.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachiosaurus
- https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/dino-directory/spinosaurus.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnapaulia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrannosaurus
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