Dinosaurs are a group of reptiles that appeared during the Mesozoic Era. Most of them had agile limbs, long tails, and massive bodies. So what interesting records did the enormous and mysterious dinosaur world hold? Let's take a look!
1. Fragile double-cavity dragon
The largest dinosaur
Amphicoelias fragillimus was the largest dinosaur in history, even exceeding the weight of a blue whale. Reaching a length of 35 meters, it was closely related to Diplodocus. Excavated in 1877, its name comes from the Ancient Greek word "fragillimus," meaning "very fragile," referring to the extremely thin lamina of its neural arch. Estimates suggest its femur was 3.7 meters high, its forelegs 5.75 meters long, its hind legs 7.5 meters long, and its hip height 9.7 meters. However, these are conservative estimates and may differ from its actual size.
2. Tyrannosaurus Rex
The most ferocious dinosaur
Tyrannosaurus Rex, also known as Tyrannosaurus Rex, lived during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 68.5 to 65 million years ago. It was one of the last non-avian dinosaurs before the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event and was the largest and most robust carnivorous dinosaur. No dinosaur could escape the Tyrannosaurus Rex, as its sharp teeth and incredible bite force could tear apart any prey in an instant.
3. Troodon
The smartest dinosaur
Troodon lived during the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 75 to 65 million years ago, and was initially named for its sharp teeth. At first, people thought it was a lizard, then a clumsy-looking dinosaur. Only after its skeleton was pieced together did they realize that almost all of their previous understandings were incorrect. In terms of body-to-brain ratio, Troodon had the largest brain of any dinosaur, and its sensory organs were highly developed, thus it is considered one of the most intelligent dinosaurs.
4. Stegosaurus
The dumbest dinosaur
Stegosaurus was a giant herbivorous dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic period. It had a row of large bony plates on its back and a dangerous tail with four sharp spikes to defend against predators. It was approximately 7-9 meters long, 2.35 to 3.5 meters tall, and weighed 2 to 4 tons. However, its brain weighed only 70 grams, making Stegosaurus one of the dumbest dinosaurs.
5. Compsognathus
The smallest dinosaur
Compsognathus, also known as the genus Compsognathus, is a small, bipedal, carnivorous theropod dinosaur. About the size of a turkey, it lived in Europe during the early Tetonian stage of the Late Jurassic, approximately 150 million years ago. For decades, Compsognathus was described as the smallest dinosaur. Based on the largest specimen, its weight was estimated to be between 0.83 and 3.5 kilograms.
6. Deinonychus
The fastest dinosaur
Deinonychus is a genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Middle Aptian to Early Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous, approximately 115 to 108 million years ago. Deinonychus was relatively small, standing only about 1 meter tall and measuring a mere 2.5 meters in length—roughly the size of a small foal. When hunting, it was exceptionally agile, often leaping onto its prey and swiftly slashing its neck. These movements were so rapid and powerful that the prey often became its meal before it even realized what had happened.
7. Super Dragon
The heaviest dinosaur
Superdragon, also known as Super Lizard, is a species of diplodocid dinosaur. Its weight is estimated to have reached approximately 66 tons, with some even speculating it to be as heavy as 88 tons, which is arguably the maximum weight a land animal could possibly have. The spine of a single Superdragon could reach 1.4 meters in length.
8. Brachiosaurus
The longest dinosaur
Brachiosaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic period. It was one of the largest animals to ever live on land and is one of the most famous dinosaurs. A giant herbivorous dinosaur of the Late Jurassic, its name means "lizard with a head like a wrist." A 25-meter-long adult Brachiosaurus could raise its head 13 meters off the ground, equivalent to the height of a four-story building.
9. Mother Dragon
The most docile dinosaur
The English name Maiasaura means "good mother lizard." In 1979, scientists in Montana, USA, discovered dinosaur nests containing the skeletons of baby dinosaurs. They named this dinosaur Maiasaura after these creatures. Maiasaura were social animals that lived in groups and built nests in groups.
10. Thunder Dragon
The loudest dinosaur
Also known as Apatosaurus, belonging to the genus Apatosaurus in the family Diplodocidae, it weighed up to 30 tons. However, Apatosaurus was a relatively gentle herbivore. Its hindquarters were higher than its shoulders, and when it stood upright on its hind legs, it was truly towering. In 1997, a computer simulation of Apatosaurus's tail revealed that it was extremely long and tapered to a point, resembling a whip. This led to the belief that sauropod dinosaurs could produce sounds up to 200 decibels, comparable to cannons.
