The American Museum of Natural History Debuts a New Dinosaur, the Titanosaur

By Samantha Neudorf January 14, 2016

Move over, Apatosaurus, there’s a new dinosaur in town.

The American Museum of Natural History unveiled a replica of the largest dinosaur discovered to date—the Titanosaur.

Found in Argentine Patagonia in 2014, this dinosaur is 122 feet long and would have weighed about 70 tons. The Apatosaurus, the museum’s former largest dinosaur, was 86-feet long and would have weighed around 30-40 tons. The Titanosaur and Apatosaurus are members of the sauropod family, which are herbivores distinguished by their very long necks, small heads, long tails, and four, thick legs.

The Titanosaur is so large that it cannot fit in either of the museum’s two dinosaur exhibitions on the fourth floor (Hall of Ornithischian Dinosaurs and Saurischian Dinosaurs), so it is in its own gallery and part of its 39-foot-long neck extends out of the exhibit.

The dinosaur skeleton is not made with real fossils, as they are too heavy to mount. Instead, the displayed dinosaur was put together with lightweight 3D prints made from fiberglass. The bones were based on 84 real fossils excavated in Argentine Patagonia. Also on temporary display are five of the original fossils that were found, including a femur, scapula, humerus, radius, and ulna dating back to 102 million years ago.

“We are pleased to present this awe-inspiring exhibit as yet another icon in an inspiring journey of discover that the museum offers throughout its galleries,” Ellen V. Futter, president of AMNH, said in a statement.

The Titanosaur will open to the public on January 15.