I had some days off work to use up before Christmas and decided to pay a visit to the new Natural History Museum exhibition, Titanosaur: Life as the Biggest Dinosaur. Who doesn’t love dinosaurs, right? The exhibition had lots aimed at children, including an interactive game where you had to try and keep baby titanosaurs alive, but even as an adult it was hugely informative and fun.
The exhibition is all about the huge titanosaur Patagotitan mayorum. It was first discovered in 2010 when an Argentinian farmer spotted a large bone sticking out of the ground. Scientists descended on Patagonia, aiming to discover more, and as they dug nearby they found more bones from other titanosaurs: hundreds were found over a period of two years, from at least six individuals. By piecing these bones together, scientists have been able to recreate one nearly complete skeleton.
Scientists have examined these bones to learn more about the titanosaur, and have modelled their skulls based on Sarmientosaurus, a close relative. Their peg-shaped teeth show that they bit leaves and swallowed them whole: usually conifer, horsetail and tree ferns. They had lots of space for jaw muscles, suggesting a strong grip. Their eyes and nostrils were placed far back to prevent twigs poking them as they explored trees for food.
A whole section of the exhibition explores the childhood of the titanosaur. Only one in one hundred babies survived to adulthood, as parents would lay eggs and then just leave them. The babies were tiny versions of adults from the very start, and only took two months to grow ten times their hatchling weight. Scientists can look at their bones to see how they grew: one ring equals one year of growth.
The exhibition also looks at how the titanosaur coped with being so huge, and why it might have grown so big in the first place. Patagotitan absorbed oxygen when it breathed in AND when it breathed out, helping it to function. It had light bones, with air sacs to make them even lighter, and wide hips for support, with a long tail for balance. They may have been able to keep warm by trapping heat in their body, generated by their guts and muscles. Their long legs also enabled them to walk huge distances in search of food. Their large size made it harder for them to get eaten.
With their rapid growth, long neck, sturdy legs and efficient lungs, they are the heaviest animals to ever walk the earth. The skeleton on display at the end of the exhibition makes you realise just how massive they were. I thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating exhibition.