Dino card No. 1291 of 2,027

Notocolossus

Say it: no-toe-ko-LOSS-us

Name means: “southern colossus”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksLate Cretaceous

Notocolossus was one of the biggest dinosaurs ever to walk the Earth. It was a giant plant-eater with a long neck and a very special foot that helped it carry its enormous weight.1

Lived

90 to 84 million years ago4

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Mendoza Province, Argentina1

Food

Plants4

Length

28 m2

estimate

Weight

40 tonnes to 75.9 tonnes2 1 3

estimates; 40 tonnes from Molina-Perez and Larramendi, 44.9, 75.9 tonnes from original description

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 13 elephants

as long as 6 cars parked in a rowas long as 160 bananas end to endas heavy as 15000 watermelons

How big was Notocolossus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Notocolossus had a humerus (upper arm bone) that was 1.76 metres long, longer than most adult humans are tall.1

Its foot was very compact and strong, with short toe bones. This helped it support its huge body weight.1

Notocolossus lived about 86 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period.1

The first fossils of Notocolossus were found in the Plottier Formation in southern Mendoza, Argentina.1

Notocolossus is a titanosaur, a group of sauropods that includes the largest land animals ever.1

AI-made picture of Notocolossus — An AI-made picture of how Notocolossus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Notocolossus

?How big was Notocolossus?

Notocolossus was one of the largest dinosaurs, estimated to be about 28 metres (92 feet) long and weighing between 40 and 76 tonnes. Its upper arm bone alone was 1.76 metres (5.8 feet) long.2 1

?What did Notocolossus eat?

Notocolossus was a plant-eater, or herbivore. It used its long neck to reach leaves and ferns high in the trees.2

?When did Notocolossus live?

Notocolossus lived about 86 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period. Its fossils were found in the Plottier Formation in Argentina.2 1

?Why did Notocolossus have a special foot?

Notocolossus had a very compact, strong foot with short toe bones. This helped it support its enormous body weight without sinking into the ground.2 1

Ask Rex about Notocolossus

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Myth buster

Myth: Notocolossus had feet like other giant sauropods.

Truth: Notocolossus had a unique foot with a very short, wide metatarsus and blunt toe bones, different from other sauropods.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Notocolossus
Named by: González Riga et al. 20164
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Colossosauria4
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Titanosauria > Macronaria4
Age of the rocks: 90 to 84 million years (Coniacian / Santonian)4
Rock formations: Plottier4
Countries: Argentina4
Fossil records: 2 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Notocolossus was named in 2016 by Bernardo González Riga and colleagues. The fossils were found in Mendoza Province, Argentina.4 1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if the unusual foot of Notocolossus is unique to this dinosaur or if other related titanosaurs had similar feet.1

Where the facts come from

A gigantic new dinosaur from Argentina and the evolution of the sauropod hind foot | Scientific Reports (nature.com)
Notocolossus (en.wikipedia.org)
A gigantic new dinosaur from Argentina and the evolution of the sauropod hind foot (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Notocolossus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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