World’s largest dinosaur
 
A life-size cast of the largest known land animal goes on show at London’s Natural History Museum, the first such display in Europe


PATAGOTITAN MAYORUM

Sauropod from Early Cretaceous period, lived 101 million years ago in what is now Argentina

Patagonia

Length: 37 metres
Weight: 57 tonnes equal to eight African bull elephants

2.4m-long femur

Cast: Fibreglass replica made from 200 bones of at least six Patagotitans excavated in Patagonia in 2014


Propulsion: Back leg muscles connected to tail to assist walking

Respiration: Helped by huge air sacs along entire length of body

Long neck: Allowed feeding from tall trees

T. rex, African elephant and human to scale

Heart: Over 1.8m in circumference and 230kg in weight. Could shift 90 litres of blood per beat, every five seconds

Digestion: Food would take up to 10 days to pass through gut



Bones: Multiple holes to reduce weight

Legs: Slightly splayed to support bulk

Tail: Replica features gash in vertebra believed to be bite mark from Tyrannotitan


Eggs: Around 20cm in diameter – smaller than football. Females laid up to 40 eggs at once


Sources: NHM, BBC, Museo Paleontologico Egidio Feruglio
Pictures: Getty Images, Academia Nacional de Ciencias
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