Mike Taylor recently asked me where I got my size
estimates for Argyrosaurus and in the process made me realize my estimates for
all titanosaurs are much too large. I've been basing these estimates
(http://www.cmnh.org/fun/dinosaur-archive/2001Sep/msg00268.html) on Greg Paul's 1993 reconstruction of Argentinosaurus, also
using the limb proportions of Aegyptosaurus. Mike wondered which fairly
complete titanosaurs were the basis of such reconstructions, so I decided to use
the few relatively complete titanosaur skeletons to estimate the giants' length
instead. I used Carpenter's (in Glut 1997) reconstruction of Saltasaurus,
Paul's (1997) reconstruction of Opisthocoelicaudia and Curry Rogers and
Forster's (2001) reconstruction of Rapetosaurus. The only other fairly
complete titanosaurs I know of are either undescribed or not accompanied by
skeletal reconstructions (eg. Titanosaurus colberti). In any case, using
these skeletons to estimate the size of titanosaurs results in lengths only
65-75% of what I posted earlier based on Paul's Argentinosaurus
reconstruction. So my new estimates for giant titanosaurs' lengths
are-
Argyrosaurus- 18-22 meters
Antarctosaurus? giganteus- 19-23 meters Paralititan- 20-24 meters Argentinosaurus- 22-26 meters Bruhathkayosaurus- 28-34 meters I no longer have a mass estimate I consider accurate, so cannot give those to you at this time. Sorry for any inconvenience my previous estimates may have caused. Mickey Mortimer
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