The Most Massive of Dinos Evolved Earlier Than Previously Thought
A Triassic giant unearthed in Argentina suggests that dinosaurs took the path to greatness at least twice
By Brian Switek
smithsonian.com
an hour ago
Dinosaurs include some of the largest, mightiest animals ever to walk the Earth. Every couple of years, it seems, we’re introduced to a new fossil contending for the biggest ever. So it can be easy to forget that it took many millions of years for these supersized saurians to evolve; the earliest creatures we call dinosaurs were only about the size of a German shepherd.
The Biggest Dinosaur to Walk the Earth Will Soon Be in a Museum
Thanks to the incomplete nature of the fossil record, scientists are still scratching their heads over exactly when and why giant dinosaurs first appeared. Now the remains of an unusually-large-for-its-time dinosaur found in Argentina provides new insight into the evolution of hugeness—and suggest that the way dinos like Brontosaurus got large wasn’t the only way to do it.
Read more:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/most-massive-dinosaurs-evolved-earlier-previously-thought--180969577/#7yZDaKMl116Pf8a0.99
