Dinosaurs 101

Quiz question

Were the largest dinosaurs carnivores (meat-eaters)

or herbivores (plant-eaters)? 

 They were herbivores

The biggest dinosaurs were sauropods; they were gigantic, slow moving, tiny-headed, cow-like plant-eaters from the late Jurassic and the Cretaceous period. They had very long necks which were useful for reaching wide (and tall) swatches of vegetation. The lengthy neck was counterbalanced by a massive tail. These sauropods are the largest land animals ever discovered:

Supersaurus - 134 feet long (41 m) Argentinosaurus - 115-130 feet long (35-40 m); 80-100 metric tons Seismosaurus ("Earth-shaking lizard") - 120+ feet long (37 m); +80 tons Ultrasauros - 100 feet long (30 m), +80 tons Diplodocus - grew up to 90 feet long (28 m). Brachiosaurus - about 85 feet long (26 m), 40 feet tall, and weighed 70-80 tons.  The biggest carnivores were much smaller. They were theropods from the Cretaceous period and include: Giganotosaurus carolinii - 47 feet long (14 m), 8 tons in weight, and 12 feet tall (4 m). Tyrannosaurus rex - 40-50 feet long (12-15 m), 6 tons in weight. Carcharodontosaurus saharicus - probably about 45 feet long.