‘The sheer scale is extraordinary’: meet the titanosaur that dwarfs Dippy the diplodocus - The Guardian

It volition beryllium 1 of the largest exhibits to grace a British museum. In spring, the Natural History Museum successful London volition show the skeleton of a titanosaur, a carnal truthful immense it volition person to beryllium shoehorned into the 9-metre-high Waterhouse gallery.

One of the astir monolithic creatures ever to person walked connected Earth, Patagotitan mayorum was a 57-tonne behemoth that would person shaken the crushed arsenic it stomped implicit homelands which present signifier modern Patagonia. Its skeleton is 37 metres long, and 5 metres successful tallness – importantly larger than the museum’s astir celebrated dinosaur, Dippy the diplodocus, which utilized to loom implicit its main gallery.

“The sheer standard of this carnal is extraordinary,” said depository dinosaur adept Prof Paul Barrett. “Even erstwhile you spot it adjacent to 1 of today’s elephantine animals, similar an elephant, it simply dwarfs them. It’s humbling.”

The remains of Patagotitan mayorum were uncovered successful 2010 erstwhile a ranch proprietor successful Patagonia came crossed a gigantic thigh bony sticking retired of the ground. Argentinian fossil experts aboriginal dug up much than 200 pieces of skeleton, the remains of astatine slightest six idiosyncratic animals.

Casts person been made of these bones by the Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio successful Trelew, Patagonia, and these signifier the skeleton that volition spell connected show successful London successful March.

“The fig of bones uncovered represents a treasure trove of material,” said Sinead Marron, the exhibition’s pb curator. “It means we present cognize a batch much astir this taxon than we bash astir galore different dinosaurs.”

Patagotitan mayorum lived astir 100 cardinal years ago, during the precocious Cretaceous period, adjacent the extremity of the dinosaurs’ reign connected Earth. It was 1 of the 3 oregon 4 biggest taxon of titanosaur present known to science. These creatures were built similar suspension bridges with a immense spine, a immense cervix for gathering nutrient from trees and a process to supply balance.

“They were herbivores that gobbled up plants and leaves and fermented them successful their immense stomachs, producing immense amounts of methane arsenic a byproduct – truthful you would not privation to bent astir the backmost extremity of 1 of these animals,” Barrett said. “In fact, immoderate radical reason that plant-eating dinosaurs similar these belched retired truthful overmuch methane they contributed to the greenhouse heating that past had the satellite successful its grip.”

Despite these colossal creatures weighing much than 9 elephants, they started retired smaller than a quality baby, Marron added. “As portion of the accumulation we are displaying a fossilised dinosaur ovum that is astir 15cm successful diameter, smaller than a football,” she added. “From that, the carnal grew to a magnitude of 37 metres.”

Several mysteries inactive situation Patagotitan mayorum, however. “You find remains of large dinosaurs successful galore places but successful Patagonia you get ones that are perfectly massive, similar titanosaurs,” Barrett said. “So was determination thing peculiar astir the ecology of the portion astatine this clip oregon person we conscionable been unlucky truthful acold successful not uncovering titanosaur remains elsewhere?”

It is besides not wide wherefore the six animals died truthful adjacent together. “They were each astir afloat grown and died astatine the aforesaid site,” Marron said. “But why? What could person done that? It is not clear, though the enigma gives an other magnitude to the communicative of these fantastic animals.”

Titanosaur: Life arsenic the biggest dinosaur opens connected 31 March adjacent twelvemonth until 7 January 2024.