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What was the biggest creature to have walked on our earth? The answer is no doubt a dinosaur, and definitely a sauropod. According to estimates, a sauropod may well be the largest creature to have lived on our earth even beating the Blue Whale’s weight of 175 tons and 103 feet. It is not easy to identify the biggest dinosaurs. According to paleontological research the following are the largest dinosaurs that have ever lived. However it is one of the greatest paradoxes that these giant animals that lived on our earth and left just incomplete skeletons.

1. Argentinosaurus

Argentinosaurus is the largest dinosaur whose giant size is supported by evidence. Its remains were found in Argentina and it is named after the same place. It is a giant eater of plants which measured about 120 feet from head to tail. Its weight must have been about 100 tons.

2. Sauroposeidon

Named after the Greek ocean god, Sauroposeidon was also one of the largest dinosaurs. It is said to have weight over 60 tons. This dinosaur was the tallest because evidence proves that it neck alone was 40 feet long!

3. Spinosaurus

Spinosaurus had a mouth similar to that of a crocodile and was also a very heavy animal. This dinosaur was a heavy meat eater and its sail which was an extension of its skin helped it to cool faster. It was also known to be very tall.

4. Quetzalcoatlus

This dinosaur was named after the Aztec god having wings namely Quetzalcoatl. Its wingspan was about 45 feet and it was one of the largest creatures to have lived on this planet. Research hints that this dinosaur may not have filed and must have had a purely land based existence.

5. Liopleurodon

This pliosaur has mixed features of the shark and orca and has thick jaws and large flippers plus a heavy body. They reached a height of over 50 feet, and are thought to have weighed over 30 tens equivalent to the weight of an adult whale.

Fossil discoveries of extinct reptiles have astonished scientists all around the globe. These 10 major findings have contributed drastically towards the development of dinosaur science also known as paleontology.

1. Mosasaurus (1764)

Mosasaur means River Lizard. The bone fossils of this dinosaur were the first to be recognized as pertaining to those of an extinct species. These were marine predators and are closely associated with snakes and monitor lizards.

2. Megalosaurus (1676)

This was the first dinosaur to be named, even before the term Dinosaur was        coined for the group of reptiles. Its name connotes Great Reptile. It lived 120,000,000 years ago in Europe. The interesting fact about the Megalosaurus is that its complete skeleton has never been located.

3. Hadrosaurus (1858)

Hadrosaurus, the Duck Billed dinosaur was the first ever complete dinosaur fossil excavated in North America. Hardosaurus had the maximum number of teeth among dinosaurs. A herbivore, it was considered to be a good swimmer.

4. Iquanodon (1820)

This was the second dinosaur to be formally named. Iguanadon signifies iguana toothed. This beast was characterized by its hard and conical spike like thumbs. An ornithopod, its intelligence was mid way among dinosaurs. Comparatively a fast reptile, it could travel at the speed of 15-20 km/hr. Evidence through fossils suggests that Iguanadons lived in herds.

5. Coelophysis (1947)

This gigantic lizard lived in the Late Trissaic period. Coelophysis stands for hollow form, because its bones were hollow, like the bones of birds. It is argued that this specie displayed cannibalistic tendencies. An interesting fact about Coelophysis is that, it lost and then regained its teeth through its lifetime.