Argentinosaurus

Argentinosaurus is a genus of gigantic sauropod dinosaurs that lived in what is now Argentina during the Late Cretaceous era. Argentinosaurus is one of the biggest known terrestrial beasts of all time, maybe the largest, reaching 30-35 metres (98-115 ft) in length and 60-75 tonnes (66-83 short tons) in body mass, despite only being known from fragmented bones. It belonged to the Titanosauria, the main group of sauropods throughout the Cretaceous period. Many paleontologists believe it to be the largest dinosaur ever and maybe the longest animal ever, however neither claim has been proven.

A farmer unearthed the first Argentinosaurus bone on his land near Plaza Huincul in 1987. In 1989, an excavation headed by Argentine palaeontologist José Bonaparte yielded seven back vertebrae and fragments of a sacrum—fused vertebrae between the back and tail vertebrae. A whole femur (thigh bone) and the shaft of another are also on display. Bonaparte and Argentine palaeontologist Rodolfo Coria described Argentinosaurus in 1993; the genus has just one species, A. huinculensis. The generic name Argentinosaurus means "Argentine lizard", while the specific name huinculensis alludes to the location where it was discovered, Plaza Huincul.