Body length
InferredAbout 37.5 m; museum reference
The directory does not tie this estimate to one complete individual. Composite reconstructions and incomplete growth preclude treating it as a proven adult maximum. [D1] [D2]
EXHIBIT 86
Patagotitan
Patagotitan mayorum
Patagotitan was an enormous Argentine titanosaur known from several individuals buried in successive floodplain deposits.
TWO WAYS TO PICTURE THE PAST
Science & the silver screen
Compare the evidence with the familiar movie image. The illustrations are not to a shared scale.
01 / SCIENTIFIC RECONSTRUCTION
An animal, reconstructed
Image unavailableSide-view life reconstruction of Patagotitan, showing a long neck, small head and supporting limbs.The exhibit and its credited image source remain available.
Artist reconstruction of Patagotitan. Colours, skin, soft tissues and dorsal contour are interpretive; its outline is not a complete preserved individual or a direct body-size measurement. [2]
Patagotitan.png · Sphenaphinae. CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized proportionally and converted to WebP; no anatomical edits. Same source license applies.
Scientific reconstruction is an interpretation; source credit does not certify every anatomical detail.
02 / MOVIE-STYLE INTERPRETATION
A cinematic imagination
Image unavailableArtistic reconstruction of Patagotitan; colors and soft tissues are illustrative.The exhibit and its credited image source remain available.
Original cinematic interpretation of Patagotitan mayorum. Coloration, soft tissues and scenery are artistic choices; reconstructed proportions do not establish a measured individual. Lighting, coloration and scenery are artistic choices. This image does not document a fossil locality or behavior.
Original artwork · artistic interpretation.
Scientific view: source-informed reconstruction, credited paleoart or specimen-based imagery. Movie-style view: Original artistic interpretation. Reconstructions involve uncertainty.
PERIODEarly Cretaceous[2]
DIETHerbivoreEvidence and uncertainty in the dossier
TOTAL LENGTHSee the dossierEstimate scope matters
FOSSILS FOUNDChubut, Argentina[2]
MEET THE ANIMAL
Meet Patagotitan
Patagotitan was an enormous plant-eating sauropod from Early Cretaceous Argentina. It is reconstructed standing on four legs, with a long neck and tail. Museum length references make its scale easier to imagine, but no single complete fossil animal establishes a secure adult maximum. Its huge size is a scientific reconstruction with important limits. [D1]
The American Museum of Natural History's long cast uses information from 84 recovered fossils. A cast is a replica made for display, and this assembled animal is not one intact fossil individual. Bringing preserved bones and restored parts together lets visitors understand the overall body plan without making every displayed piece original evidence. [D4]
Body weight is estimated rather than directly measured. A 2020 study revised limb-based calculations and obtained model estimates spanning 42 to 71 tonnes, with a mean of 57 tonnes. Those numbers describe outcomes of a modelling method applied to sampled material. They are not a measured range from the lightest to heaviest living adults. Patagotitan shows why extraordinary size claims need both the number and an explanation of how it was produced. [D3]
PREHISTORIC ANIMAL DOSSIER
A life in profile.
The animal, the evidence, and the questions still open.
Model assumptions and growth stage matter when comparing this giant’s estimated dimensions.
Profile scope: Genus profile centered on Patagotitan mayorum; size models combine incomplete, still-growing individuals.
- Time
- Early Cretaceous
- Fossil locations in this exhibit
- Chubut, Argentina
How to read the evidence
Source supported identifies a description documented by the cited source. Inferred marks a reconstruction or functional estimate. Debated marks competing interpretations. Not established means the sources reviewed for this dossier do not support a firm conclusion; it does not mean a behavior never occurred.
A size reference is an estimate, not a population range. Nesting evidence does not by itself establish courtship, mate choice, or lifelong pairing.
Body mass
Debated42–71 tonnes; model interval, mean 57
The 2020 study revised limb-scaling estimates with a quadratic correction. These are alternative model estimates for sampled material, not an adult population range. [D3]
Diet
Source supportedPlant-eater
The museum identifies herbivory; reviewed material does not resolve a particular plant menu. [D1]
Habitat & fossil setting
Source supportedLatest-Albian Chubut floodplain
The original study dates La Flecha’s Cerro Barcino sequence to 101.62 ± 0.18 million years ago, within the Early Cretaceous. [D2]
Movement
InferredFour-legged terrestrial walker
The museum reconstructs locomotion on four supporting limbs; it does not establish speed. [D1]
Distinctive anatomy
Source supportedHuge titanosaurs represented by multiple skeletons
The description diagnoses limb and vertebral features from incomplete individuals; the assembled outline includes restored missing elements. [D2]
Reproduction & life together
Reproduction & nesting
Not establishedNot established here
Focused egg and nesting searches did not establish clutches attributable to Patagotitan. Titanosaur nests elsewhere cannot supply its clutch size or parental behavior.
Courtship & mating
Not establishedNot established here
Reviewed anatomy and focused courtship searches do not establish a mating system, display sequence or sex-specific ornamentation.
Social behavior
InferredRepeated site use inferred
At least six similar-sized individuals span three burial horizons. The authors infer site fidelity; this does not demonstrate one simultaneous herd or its lasting organization. [D2]
Dossier research & sources
Sources and inspection notes for the claims in this profile.
- PatagotitanNatural History Museum, London · Accessed 2026-10-02Museum reference length, herbivory, four-legged posture and Early Cretaceous overview; length specimen unspecified. · Inspected: page
- A new giant titanosaur sheds light on body mass evolution among sauropod dinosaursProceedings of the Royal Society B; Carballido and colleagues (2017), MEF-hosted published paper · Accessed 2026-10-02Type diagnosis, latest-Albian age, at least six individuals in three horizons and decelerating but incomplete growth. · Inspected: excerpt
- The appendicular osteology of Patagotitan mayorum (Dinosauria, Sauropoda)Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology; Otero, Carballido & Pérez Moreno (2020) · Accessed 2026-10-02Publisher abstract inspected: quadratic correction of limb scaling, estimated 42–71 tonnes with 57-tonne mean; full text not accessed. · Inspected: abstract
- Meet Patagotitan mayorum!American Museum of Natural History (2017) · Accessed 2026-10-02Museum account of a 122-foot cast using 84 fossils; its older Late Cretaceous age wording is superseded by the primary description. · Inspected: page
THE STORY IN THE FOSSILS
Meet Patagotitan.
Patagotitan’s fossils record several deaths at a repeatedly flooded site. Separating burial episodes makes the possible aggregation evidence more informative than simply counting animals in one quarry. [2]
The American Museum’s 122-foot cast combines information from 84 recovered fossils. A display reconstruction is valuable for visualizing the animal, but it is not a complete fossil individual. [4]
A note on scale and time
The dossier identifies the scope of each reference estimate. A mount, an individual fossil and a species-wide adult range are different measurements. Comparison metrics remain unavailable where adult scope has not been established. Unknown does not mean zero.
Sources & editorial notes
Sources support the stated claims and scopes. Refer to the evidence notes for uncertainty.
- PatagotitanNatural History Museum, London · Accessed 2026-10-02Museum reference length, herbivory, four-legged posture and Early Cretaceous overview; length specimen unspecified. · Inspected: page
- A new giant titanosaur sheds light on body mass evolution among sauropod dinosaursProceedings of the Royal Society B; Carballido and colleagues (2017), MEF-hosted published paper · Accessed 2026-10-02Type diagnosis, latest-Albian age, at least six individuals in three horizons and decelerating but incomplete growth. · Inspected: excerpt
- The appendicular osteology of Patagotitan mayorum (Dinosauria, Sauropoda)Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology; Otero, Carballido & Pérez Moreno (2020) · Accessed 2026-10-02Publisher abstract inspected: quadratic correction of limb scaling, estimated 42–71 tonnes with 57-tonne mean; full text not accessed. · Inspected: abstract
- Meet Patagotitan mayorum!American Museum of Natural History (2017) · Accessed 2026-10-02Museum account of a 122-foot cast using 84 fossils; its older Late Cretaceous age wording is superseded by the primary description. · Inspected: page
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