Natural History Museum in London unveils life-sized skeleton of largest titanosaur

Introduction

The Natural History Museum in London has unveiled the life-sized skeleton of Patagotitan mayorum, the largest dinosaur to have ever walked the Earth. The cast is over five meters tall, weighs more than two and a half metric tons, and may have been the largest terrestrial animal of all time, weighing as much as 57 metric tons and stretching over 120 feet. The display forms part of the Titanosaur: Life As The Biggest Dinosaur exhibition which features real fossils and interactive games.

A colossal cast

The replica comprises nearly 300 bones scanned from fossils found at the site in Patagonia, Argentina. The gaps were filled with what is known from closely related dinosaurs. A team of technicians put in finishing touches to the exhibition, which also includes real fossils, including a 2.4meter-long femur that weighs about half a metric ton.

Transporting the cast

Freight company IAG Cargo transported the cast in over 40 specially designed crates that were placed in two British Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliners’ belly hold and flown for 7,000 miles from Ezeiza Airport, Buenos Aires to London Heathrow. Assembling inside Waterhouse gallery happened away from public view, ahead of its official unveiling at the start of UK school holidays.

Discovering one of the largest dinosaurs ever to walk the Earth

In 2010, a massive dinosaur bone was discovered by chance in Patagonia, Argentina. The dig site has given rise to showcasing this most complete giant dinosaur ever found at Titanosaur: Life As The Biggest Dinosaur exhibit. Visitors can see real bones discovered in Argentina that are as big as a human. The exhibit takes visitors on a perilous journey that juvenile titanosaurs would have embarked upon after hatching, facing threats from extreme weather, predators, and starvation.

Patagotitan mayorum: An incredible herbivore

Patagotitan was a titanosaur dinosaur from Argentina that lived about 100 million years ago. It swallowed food whole instead of chewing, requiring a lot of digestion. The dinosaur had adapted to overcome its large size’s oxygen and energy demands, though it was not yet fully grown. This discovery suggests that even more significant specimens could be found in the future.

Impressively large meals

The titanosaurs were four-legged planteaters that weighed up to 70 tonnes, making them the largest animals ever to walk the Earth. Patagotitan mayorum was around 12 meters longer than any other exhibit in the museum, weighing approximately the same as nearly 60 velociraptors or five full concert grand pianos. To survive, it would have needed to feed on over 129 kgs of plants daily – which is equivalent to approximately 516 round lettuces.

Interactive experiences

The exhibition is informative, immersive and interactive. Visitors learn more about these creatures through games and experiences. They can see a 69-million-year-old grapefruit-sized egg which hatched an enormous titanosaur and touch its model replica. Also included are hand-drawn illustrations of the flora and fauna of the Cretaceous period and information on the predators that preyed on Patagotitan mayorum.

Conclusion

Visitors to the Natural History Museum in London can stand beneath this enormous dinosaur for a unique perspective, experiencing a sense of awe at its sheer size. The exhibition goes on until Sunday, January 7th, 2024, with tickets that can be purchased online via the museum’s website.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons