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Re: Size limits

At 140t, we're talking about the weight of the largest known blue whale -- on land. What insane kind of evolutionary pressure would there have to be to exert the drive towards such masses??

Sauroposeidon is the largest Brachiosaurid found to date. If indeed the titanosuriforms are lighter than Brachiosaurus, then Sauroposeidon should be approaching the 100t range.

David Marjanovic wrote:

 
I would like to know if you think that Argentinosaurus reached the upper size limit for a terrestrial animal or if we can expect finds of even bigger species in
the future?
AFAIK someone calculated a theoretical limit for quadrupedal land animals at 140 t because then the legs have to be so thick that they touch. BTW, I don't believe the 100-t-estimate for Argentinosaurus -- Brachiosaurus has been credited with serious estimates between 15 and 75 t, for example; I prefer the former estimate, because most titanosauriforms had more air than bone in their vertebrae and must have had large air sacs.