Argentinosaurus's Hidden Strength
In Argentinosaurus's Hidden Strength, naturalist Steve Backshall describes the unseen capabilities of this giant but slow dinosaur weighing in at almost 70 tons. Though this creature doesn’t display any noticeable weapons, its deadliness packs a punch. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Deadly Dinosaurs, a documentary series in which host Steve Backshall is on the hunt for the deadliest animals to have walked the Earth — dinosaurs — exploring features of several species and putting their abilities to the test to reveal the raw power of these creatures.
Lesson Express
Q: How big was Argentinosaurus?
A: It measured 115 feet (35 meters) long and weighed 70 tons, which is equal to 140,000 pounds!
Q: What two things made it difficult for Argentinosaurus to defend itself?
A: It moved very slowly due to its giant size and it didn’t have any noticeable physical features that served as weapons.
Q: How was Argentinosaurus able to withstand biting attacks from predators?
A: Because of its huge size, it could lose a chunk of its flesh without experiencing serious damage to its body, similar to the way that an insect bite feels minor to us since it is so small compared with the size of the human body.