Dreadnoughtus

Dreadnoughtus is a genus of extremely large titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina. The type species, Dreadnoughtus schrani, is known from one of the most complete sauropod skeletons yet found, providing important insights into the size, proportions, and anatomy of giant titanosaurs.

The fossils were discovered in southern Patagonia, Santa Cruz Province, by a team led by Kenneth Lacovara in 2005 and prepared over the following years; the genus and species were described in 2014. The skeleton is unusually complete for a giant sauropod, enabling detailed estimates of body size.

Estimates place Dreadnoughtus at roughly 26 meters (85 feet) in length and around 65 metric tons in mass, with a long neck and tail and robust limb bones supporting the weight. Its skeleton preserves much of the forelimb, hind limb, and vertebral column, illustrating the proportions typical of large titanosaurs.

Classification: Dreadnoughtus belongs to Titanosauria, a diverse group of sauropods that dominated many continents during the Late Cretaceous. Dreadnoughtus is considered one of the most complete and well-preserved examples of enormous titanosaurs.

Significance: Because a large portion of the skeleton was recovered, Dreadnoughtus provided one of the most reliable size estimates for a giant sauropod and informed discussions on growth rates, anatomy, and ecology of titanosaurs.