Argentinosaurus Facts for Kids

A Picture of Argentinosaurus Huinculensis
  • Species Type: Argentinosaurus huinculensis
  • Type of Dinosaur: Sauropod (Titanosaur)
  • Period: Late Cretaceous Period
  • Diet: Foliage (herbivorous)
  • Life Span: Up to 40 years
  • Length: Between 98 and 115 feet
  • Weight: Between 88 and 110 tons

19 Argentinosaurus Facts for Kids

  1. The Argentinosaurus was discovered in 1987, by a rancher named Guillermo Heredia in the Province of Neuquén in Argentina.
  2. The Argentinosaurus got its scientific name Argentinosaurus huinculensis in 1993 from José F. Bonaparte and Rodolfo Coria.
  3. The name Argentinosaurus means: “Argentine lizard”.
  4. The name Argentinosaurus is pronounced: “AHR-gen-TEEN-uh-SAWR-us”.
  5. The Argentinosaurus belongs to a group of dinosaurs known as Sauropds (Titanosaur).
  6. They lived in the Late Cretaceous Period between 93.5 and 97 million years ago.
  7. Estimates put the average weight of an Argentinosaurus between 88 and 110 tons.
  8. Estimates put the average length of an Argentinosaurus between 95 and 115 feet.
  9. The length of a Argentinosaurus is almost the same size as the width of an American football field.
  10. The Argentinosaurus was a herbivore.
  11. The Argentinosaurus is one of the largest known dinosaurs to ever exist.
  12. The Argentinosaurus is one of the largest known animals, both living and extinct, to ever walk on our planet.
  13. The Argentinosaurus lived in South America, on what was then the island continent of South America.
  14. Guillermo Heredia, the rancher who discovered the Argentinosaurus, initially thought the leg was a very large chunk of petrified wood.
  15. The right fibula (lower leg bone) recovered from Guillermo’s discovery was 61 inches in length.
  16. A musculoskeletal analysis, along with computer simulations, puts the top speed of an Argentinosaurus around five miles per hour.
  17. Paleontologists estimate it took around 15 years for an Argentinosaurus to reach its full adult size.
  18. Paleontologists believe the Argentinosaurus laid up to 15 eggs.
  19. Paleontologists estimate the egg of an Argentinosaurus was about the size of a beach ball.

Additional Resources on Argentinosaurus

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