American Museum Of Natural History Debuts the Largest Dinosaur Known to Man
The largest dinosaur ever discovered by man will soon be making it’s home at New York City’s famed American Museum of Natural History. The remains, which were discovered in Argentina in 2014 after an 18-month excavation, have been dubbed the Titanosaur.
Scientists believe the creature was a herbivore that lived during the Cretaceous Period, roughly 100 million years ago. The remains are 122-feet long, a full 30-feet longer than the Museum’s famed Blue Whale, and stand 46-feet tall with a 39-foot neck. Judging by the size and weight of the creature’s calf bones, it would have weighed approximately 70 to 77 tons. For comparison, that’s the approximate weight of between 10 and 15 grown elephants.
The actual bones of the Titanosaur are too heavy to actually be mounted, and are instead displayed around a life-size 3-D printed fiberglass replica. Due to the skeleton replica’s large size, the museum has come up with an ingenious way to display the specimen.
While the majority of the body will be held in a large display room on the dinosaur floor, it’s head will poke outside of the room into the elevator bank, beckoning in new visitors with the promises of its massive size.
In the words of AMNH president, Ellen V. Futter, the Titianosaur offers a “hospitable welcome.”
The Titanosaur exhibit is scheduled to open to the public Friday, January 15, 2016.
