Dinosaur size

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Size has been one of the most interesting aspects of dinosaur science to the general public. This article lists the largest and smallest dinosaurs from various groups, sorted in order of weight and length.

Scale diagram comparing the largest known dinosaurs in four suborders and a human.
Scale diagram comparing the largest known dinosaurs in four suborders and a human.

Note: this list excludes unpublished material. In some cases, dinosaurs are known that will be included on this list if/when they are officially described. In addition, weight estimates for dinosaurs are much more variable than length estimates, because estimating length for extinct animals is much more easily done from a skeleton than estimating weight.

Contents

Main article: Theropoda

Sizes are given with a range, where possible, of estimates that have not been contradicted by more recent studies. In cases where a range of currently accepted estimates exist, sources are given for the sources with the lowest and highest estimates, respectively, and only the highest values are given if these individual sources give a range of estimates.

Size comparison of selected giant theropod dinosaurs
Size comparison of selected giant theropod dinosaurs

Size by overall length, including tail, of all theropods over 12 meters.

  1. Spinosaurus: 14.3-18 m (46.9-59.1 ft)[1][2]
  2. Giganotosaurus: 12.5-14 m (41-45.9 ft)[3][4]
  3. Carcharodontosaurus: 11.1-13.5 m (37-44 ft)[5][4]
  4. Deltadromeus: 8.1-~13.3 m (26.5-~43.6 ft)[6]
  5. Tyrannotitan: ~12.2-?13 m (~40-?42.3 ft)[6][7]
  6. Tyrannosaurus: 12-13 m (39.3-42.6 ft)[8]
  7. Deinocheirus: 10-13 m (32.8-42.6 ft)[6][4]
  8. Mapusaurus: >12.2-12.6 m (>40-41.3 ft)[9][6]
  9. Epanterias (possible synonym of Allosaurus): 12.1 m (39.7 ft)[5]
  10. Edmarka (possible synonym of Torvosaurus): 12 m (39.3 ft)[5]
  11. Therizinosaurus: 9.6-12 m (31.4-39.3 ft)[6][4]

Size by overall weight of all theropods over 4 metric tons.

  1. Spinosaurus: 7-20.9 t[2][1]
  2. Giganotosaurus: 6-8 t[6][4]
  3. Tyrannosaurus: 6-8 t[10][11]
  4. Therizinosaurus: 6.2 t[5]
  5. Tarbosaurus: 6 t[5]
  6. Epanterias: 4.5 t[5]
  7. Edmarka: 4 t[5]
  8. Mapusaurus: 3 t[9]
  9. Carcharodontosaurus: 2.9 t[5]
  10. Suchomimus: 2.9-4.8 t[5]

A list of all known non-avian theropods 1 meter or less in length.

  1. Scansoriopteryx: ~?12 cm (?4.7 in)
  2. Epidendrosaurus: ~?15 cm (?6 in)
  3. Parvicursor: 39 cm (1.27 ft)[6]
  4. Jinfengopteryx: 55 cm (1.8 ft)[12]
  5. Microraptor: 55-77 cm (1.8-2.5 ft)
  6. Compsognathus: 60 cm-1.4 m (2 ft-4.6 ft)
  7. Ligabueino: 70 cm (2.3 ft)
  8. Mahakala: 70 cm (2.3 ft)[13]
  9. Juravenator: 80 cm (2.5 ft)
  10. Nqwebasaurus: 80 cm (2.6 ft)
  11. Cryptovolans: 90 cm (2.9 ft)
  12. Pedopenna: <1 m (<3 ft)[14]
  13. Koparion: ?1 m (?3 ft)
  14. Caenagnathasia: 1 m (3.3 ft)
  15. Shuvuuia: 1 m (3.3 ft)
  16. Mononykus: 1 m (3.3 ft)
  17. Procompsognathus: 1 m (3.3 ft)

Main article: Sauropoda

Sauropod size is difficult to estimate given their usually fragmentary state of preservation. Sauropods are often preserved without their tails, so the margin of error in overall length estimates is high. Mass is calculated using the cube of the length, so for species in which the length is particularly uncertain, the weight is even more so. These size estimates are based primarily on surveys by Rymill (2001), Taylor (2003), and Mortimer (2004). Estimates that are particularly uncertain (due to very fragmentary or lost material) are preceded by a question mark.

Note that, generally, the giant sauropods can be divided into two categories - the shorter but stockier and more massive forms (mainly titanosaurs and some brachiosaurids), and the longer but slenderer and more light-weight forms (mainly diplodocids).

Size comparison of selected giant sauropod dinosaurs
Size comparison of selected giant sauropod dinosaurs

A list of sauropods that reached over 20 meters in length, including neck and tail.

  1. Amphicoelias: 40-?60 m (131-198 ft)
  2. Bruhathkayosaurus: ?28-?44 m (?92-?144 ft)
  3. Puertasaurus: 35-40 m (115-131 ft)
  4. Argentinosaurus: 30-37 m (98-121 ft)
  5. Turiasaurus: 30-37 m (98-121 ft)
  6. Supersaurus: 35 m (116 ft)
  7. Futalognkosaurus: 32-34 m (105-111 ft) [15]
  8. Diplodocus hallorum (formerly known as Seismosaurus): 32 m (105 ft)
  9. Paralititan: 24-32 m (80-105 ft)
  10. Argyrosaurus: 18-?30 m (60-?98 ft)
  11. Sauroposeidon: 29 m (97 ft) Note: tallest known dinosaur, at 17 m (55 ft)
  12. Diplodocus carnegiei: 25-27 m (83-88 ft)
  13. Barosaurus: 24-27 m (79-88 ft)
  14. Brachiosaurus: 25 m (83 ft)
  15. Pelorosaurus: 24 m (79 ft)
  16. Antarctosaurus: 19-23 m (63-76 ft)
  17. Apatosaurus: 22 m (73 ft)
  18. Haplocanthosaurus: 21.5 m (68 ft)

Size by overall weight of all sauropods over 20 tons.

  1. Bruhathkayosaurus: ?157-?220 tons
  2. Amphicoelias: ?122-?170 tons
  3. Puertasaurus: 80-100 tons
  4. Argentinosaurus: 66-100 tons
  5. Paralititan: 65-80 tons
  6. Antarctosaurus: 69 tons
  7. Sauroposeidon: 50-60 tons
  8. Brachiosaurus: 30-60 tons
  9. Argyrosaurus: 45-55 tons
  10. Supersaurus: 40-50 tons
  11. Turiasaurus: 40-48 tons
  12. Diplodocus hallorum: 35-45 tons
  13. Apatosaurus: 33-38 tons
  14. Diplodocus carnegiei: 10-20 tons
  15. Barosaurus: 10-20 tons

A list of all sauropods measuring 10 meters or less in length.

  1. Anchisaurus: 2.4 m (7.8 ft)
  2. Ohmdenosaurus: 4 m (13 ft)
  3. Blikanasaurus: 5 m (16.4 ft)
  4. Magyarosaurus: 5.3 m (17.4 ft)
  5. Europasaurus: 6 m (19 ft)
  6. Vulcanodon: 6.5 m (21.3 ft)
  7. Isanosaurus: 7 m (23 ft)
  8. Camelotia: 9 m (29.5 ft)
  9. Tazoudasaurus: 9 m (29.5 ft)
  10. Antetonitrus: 8-10 m (26-30 ft), 1.5-2 m (5-6.5 ft) tall at hip
  11. Shunosaurus: 10 m (32 ft)
  12. Brachytrachelopan: 10 m (32 ft)
  13. Amazonsaurus: 10 m (32 ft), 10 tons

Main article: Ornithopoda

  1. Zhuchengosaurus: 16.6 m (54.5 ft; composite mount)[16]
  2. ?Lambeosaurus laticaudus: 15 m (50 ft), up to 16.5 m (54.1 ft)[17] (may or may not belong in Lambeosaurus)
  3. Shantungosaurus: 14.72 m (48.29 ft; composite mount)[18]
  4. Charonosaurus: 13 m (43 ft)[19]
  5. Edmontosaurus: 12 m (39 ft)[20] to 13 m (43 ft)[21]
  6. Anatotitan: 12 m (39 ft)[22]
  7. Olorotitan: 12 m (39 ft)[23]
  8. Saurolophus angustirostris: 12 m (39 ft)[24]
  9. Kritosaurus sp.: 11 m (36 ft)[25]
  10. Iguanodon: 10 m (33 ft), up to possibly 13 m (43 ft) for I. bernissartensis[26]

  1. ?Lambeosaurus laticaudus: up to 23 metric tons (25 short tons)[17]
  2. Shantungosaurus: up to 16 metric tons (17.6 short tons)[27]
  3. Edmontosaurus: 4.0 metric tons (4.4 short tons)[27]
  4. Hypacrosaurus: 4.0 metric tons (4.4 short tons)[27]

Main article: Ceratopsia

Size by overall length, including tail, of all ceratopsians measuring 6 meters or more in length (size estimates from Dinodata).

  1. Triceratops: 9 m (30 ft)
  2. Einiosaurus: 7.6 m (25.2 ft)
  3. Torosaurus: 7.5 m (25 ft)
  4. Pentaceratops: 7.5 m (25 ft)
  5. Pachyrhinosaurus: 6 m (20 ft)
  6. Achelousaurus: 6 m (20 ft)
  7. Arrhinoceratops: 6 m (20 ft)
  8. Centrosaurus: 6 m (20 ft)

A list of all ceratopsians 3 meters or less in length.

  1. Microceratops: 80 cm (2.6 ft)
  2. Bagaceratops: 1 m (3.3 ft)
  3. Leptoceratops: 2.4 m (7.9 ft)

Main article: Pachycephalosauria

  1. Pachycephalosaurus: 4.6 m (15.1 ft)

  1. Micropachycephalosaurus: 60 cm (2 ft)
  2. Wannanosaurus: 60 cm (2 ft)
  3. Yaverlandia: 1 m (3.3 ft)

Main article: Thyreophora

  1. Ankylosaurus: 6.25 m[28]-10.7 m (20.5-35 ft)
  2. Dacentrurus: 6.1-10.1 m (20.0-33.1 ft)
  3. Stegosaurus: 9.0 m (29.5 ft)
  4. Tarchia: 8.0-8.5 m (26.2-27.9 ft)
  5. Edmontonia: 7 m (23 ft)
  6. Panoplosaurus: 5.5-7 m (18-23 ft)
  7. Euoplocephalus: 6 m (20 ft)

  1. Liaoningosaurus: ?34 cm (?1 ft)
  2. Scutellosaurus: 1.5 m (4.9 ft)[2]
  3. Struthiosaurus: 2-2.5 m (6.7-8.3 ft)

  1. ^ a b Therrien, F.; and Henderson, D.M. (2007). "My theropod is bigger than yours...or not: estimating body size from skull length in theropods". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27 (1): 108-115. 
  2. ^ a b dal Sasso, C.; Maganuco, S.; Buffetaut, E.; and Mendez, M.A. (2005). "New information on the skull of the enigmatic theropod Spinosaurus, with remarks on its sizes and affinities". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 25 (4): 888-896. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2005)025%5B0888:NIOTSO%5D2.0.CO;2. 
  3. ^ Seebacher, F. 2001. A new method to calculate allometric length-mass relationships of dinosaurs. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 21(1): 51–60.
  4. ^ a b c d e Bervoets, F. (2007), "DinoData", viewed September 17, 2007. http://www.dinodata.org/.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mortimer, M. (2003), "And the Largest Theropod Is....", discussion group, The Dinosaur Mailing List, viewed July 21, 2003. http://dml.cmnh.org/.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Mortimer, M. (2004), "The Theropod Database", viewed September 17, 2007. http://home.myuw.net/eoraptor/.
  7. ^ Novas, de Valais, Vickers-Rich and Rich. (2005). "A large Cretaceous theropod from Patagonia, Argentina, and the evolution of carcharodontosaurids." Naturwissenschaften.
  8. ^ Brochu, C.R. 2003. Osteology of Tyrannosaurus rex: insights from a nearly complete skeleton and high-resolution computed tomographic analysis of the skull. Memoirs of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. 7: 1-138.
  9. ^ a b Coria, R. A., and Currie, P. J. (2006). "A new carcharodontosaurid (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina." Geodiversitas, 28(1): 71-118.PDF
  10. ^ Christiansen, P. & Fariña, R.A. 2004. Mass prediction in theropod dinosaurs. Historical Biology 16: 85-92.
  11. ^ Henderson, D.M. 1999. Estimating the masses and centers of mass of extinct animals by 3-D mathematical slicing. Paleobiology 25: 88–106.
  12. ^ Ji, Q., Ji, S., Lu, J., You, H., Chen, W., Liu, Y., and Liu, Y. (2005). "First avialan bird from China (Jinfengopteryx elegans gen. et sp. nov.)." Geological Bulletin of China, 24(3): 197-205.
  13. ^ Turner, Alan H.; Pol, Diego; Clarke, Julia A.; Erickson, Gregory M.; and Norell, Mark (2007). "A basal dromaeosaurid and size evolution preceding avian flight" (pdf). Science 317: 1378-1381. doi:10.1126/science.1144066. 
  14. ^ Xu, X., and Zhang, F. (2005). "A new maniraptoran dinosaur from China with long feathers on the metatarsus." Naturwissenschaften, 92(4): 173 - 177.
  15. ^ Calvo, J.O., Porfiri, J.D., González-Riga, B.J., and Kellner, A.W. (2007) "A new Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystem from Gondwana with the description of a new sauropod dinosaur". Anais Academia Brasileira Ciencia, 79(3): 529-41.[1]
  16. ^ Zhao, X.; Li, D.; Han, G.; Hao, H.; Liu, F.; Li, L.; and Fang, X. (2007). "Zhuchengosaurus maximus from Shandong Province". Acta Geoscientia Sinica 28 (2): 111-122. 
  17. ^ a b Morris, William J. (1981). "A new species of hadrosaurian dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Baja California: ?Lambeosaurus laticaudus". Journal of Paleontology 55 (2): 453- 462. 
  18. ^ Glut, Donald F. (1997). "Shantungosaurus", Dinosaurs: The Encyclopedia. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co, 816-817. ISBN 0-89950-917-7. 
  19. ^ Dixon, Dougal (2006). The Complete Book of Dinosaurs. London: Anness Publishing Ltd., 216. ISBN 0-681-37578-7. 
  20. ^ Glut, Donald F. (1997). "Edmontosaurus", Dinosaurs: The Encyclopedia. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co, 389-396. ISBN 0-89950-917-7. 
  21. ^ Lambert, David; and the Diagram Group (1990). The Dinosaur Data Book. New York: Avon Books, 60. ISBN 0-380-75896-3. 
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  25. ^ Kirkland, James I.; Hernández-Rivera, René; Gates, Terry; Paul, Gregory S.; Nesbitt, Sterling; Serrano-Brañas, Claudia Inés; and Garcia-de la Garza, Juan Pablo (2006). "Large hadrosaurine dinosaurs from the latest Campanian of Coahuila, Mexico", in Lucas, S.G.; and Sullivan, Robert M. (eds.): Late Cretaceous Vertebrates from the Western Interior, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin, 35. Albuqueque, New Mexico: New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 299-315. 
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