Titanosaur

Titanosaurs were a family of huge Sauropods that thrived during the late Cretaceous period and were the largest creatures ever to walk the Earth. Titanosaurs encompassed lots of similar gigantic herbivores such as Saltasaurus and Ampelosaurus; there was, in fact, no one species called a Titanosaurus.

They were stockier and heavier but slightly shorter than the Sauropods that preceded them. Titanosaurs were herbivores, devouring tons of vegetation every day. Their hind legs were strong enough to bear the full weight of the creature, allowing a Titanosaur to rear up to feed from the upper branches of trees.

Titanosaurs varied in size, with the biggest likely being Argentinosaurus, which was around 30 metres long and weighed more than 70 tons, although some fossils suggested the existence of even bigger creatures.

Like other Sauropods, Titanosaurs had long tails that could be used as a defensive weapon. The tails of some species could be cracked like a whip fast enough to make a sonic boom; the tail was also used to help support the creature. Some species had protective bony plates known as osteoderms, but most relied on their sheer size to protect them. There were very few predators large enough to tackle an adult Titanosaur, and the mass of the herd protected the more vulnerable juveniles. Herds contained dozens or even hundreds of adults, moving in a stately procession through the jungles of the Cretaceous. (PROSE: Prehistory Repeating Itself ^[+]Loading...["Prehistory Repeating Itself (feature)"])

Behind the scenes

• The Titanosaur profile provided in Prehistory Repeating Itself ^[+]Loading...["Prehistory Repeating Itself (feature)"] was, in fact, recycled from Cubicle Seven's Primeval game.