Amphicoelias (was Re: the longest animal?)

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <th81@umail.umd.edu>]

At 08:28 PM 3/19/98 +0100, you wrote:
>Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. wrote:

>>The largest vertebrate for which we have complete material would be a blue
>whale.  A complete adult Seismosaurus or Supersaurus (if such are ever
>found) would almost certainly be longer.

>As a matter of giant sauropods: What about Cope's Amphicoelias fragilimus
>(that giant partial vertebrae that vanished on its way to the museum in New
>York)? I remember that Greg estimated the animal (if Amphicoelias) to be
>between 45 and 60 meters long. That animal would overthrow Belaenoptera
>musculus from the throne of the longest (yet not the heaviest) vertebrate
>(biggest specimens measure more than 33 meter in length - if I am correct).

If and only if the size of that individual could be verified: yes, it would
be longer.  As it is, all we have are line drawings.

However, even the Seismosaurus type material and the Supersaurus material
are probably from individuals longer than Balaeonoptera, but these are
incomplete.

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Vertebrate Paleontologist     Webpage: http://www.geol.umd.edu
Dept. of Geology              Email:th81@umail.umd.edu
University of Maryland        Phone:301-405-4084
College Park, MD  20742       Fax:  301-314-9661