A new study has calculated for the first time the number of different sauropod lineages that achieved whopping proportions - 36 of them in a span of about 100 million years bridging the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Next were Brachiosaurus, at 63 metric tons, and Barosaurus, at 60 metric tons, both living approximately 150 million years ago in western North America. D'Emic identified 45 species from 36 sauropod lineages that beat those. Size offered benefits for sauropods, which competed for resources with other plant-eating dinosaurs and faced dangerous meat-eating dinosaurs. "I think it's amazing that we are still learning so much about these animals," D'Emic said.

Source: The Hindu May 09, 2023 12:23 UTC