0:00:02 > 0:00:06If you thought you knew all there was to know about dinosaurs,
0:00:06 > 0:00:08think again.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10This is Planet Dinosaur Files,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13the series that rewrites the prehistory books.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15We're bringing to life
0:00:15 > 0:00:18the most awesome beasts ever to walk the earth,
0:00:18 > 0:00:21with state-of-the-art CGI technology
0:00:21 > 0:00:25that makes you feel like you're right there.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27And I'll be discovering
0:00:27 > 0:00:32what made these massive, lethal and frankly bizarre beasts tick.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36I'll be devising demos to find out what would happen
0:00:37 > 0:00:40if you let a massive dinosaur loose in a car park.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43This is going to get messy.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52In the last 20 years, scientists have discovered more dinosaurs
0:00:52 > 0:00:56than in all the centuries that have gone before.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Amazing new discoveries.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03They reveal a jaw-dropping cast list of creatures.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Bigger,
0:01:09 > 0:01:10weirder,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13and deadlier than we'd ever imagined.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16This time on Planet Dinosaur Files,
0:01:16 > 0:01:19we're asking the question -
0:01:19 > 0:01:21which was the biggest, mightiest,
0:01:21 > 0:01:25most massive dinosaur that ever existed?
0:01:34 > 0:01:37You might think you know about dinosaurs.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Like the huge, 12-tonne plant-eater,
0:01:41 > 0:01:42Diplodocus.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Or the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51a savage predator who dominated half the planet
0:01:51 > 0:01:53for almost five million years.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Well, think again.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02Prepare to meet the new big dinos on the block.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Like Carcharodontosaurus.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10A massive meat-eater,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14as tall as a double-decker bus.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16A heavyweight predator.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Or Paralititan, an African giant,
0:02:21 > 0:02:25a plant-eater nearly four times the weight of Diplodocus,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28longer than a swimming pool.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33And the incredible Argentinosaurus,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35An awe-inspiring monster,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39heavier than a whole herd of elephants.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41A truly record-breaking dinosaur.
0:02:41 > 0:02:47I'm going to explore just what it takes to be a really big dinosaur.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49First, length.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54The biggest dinosaurs could be as long as three railway carriages.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Second, weight.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01You only get into the prehistoric heavyweight league
0:03:01 > 0:03:05by having the tonnage to make the earth shake.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07And last but not least, food.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Just what do these staggering mega-monsters eat,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13and how much?
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Let's meet our first huge beast.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29This is Carcharodontosaurus.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Its name means "shark-toothed lizard".
0:03:34 > 0:03:38This monster grew up to 13 metres long.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43An adult weighed a hefty seven tonnes.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46It ruled the roost in North Africa
0:03:46 > 0:03:4895 million years ago.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53But let's get one thing straight.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58In the world of dinosaurs, the ones that grew to stupendous sizes
0:03:58 > 0:04:01were vegetarians living on a diet of plants.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Now, the meat-eaters, the carnivores,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08they needed to be able to move freely in order to hunt,
0:04:08 > 0:04:12so they didn't grow as huge as the plant-eating herbivores.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Carcharodontosaurus was a meat-eater.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20But if you're talking about pure meat-eating dinosaurs,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22this was one of the biggest.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30A whole tonne heavier than T-Rex.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34And a ravenous killer of that size needs plenty of food.
0:04:34 > 0:04:39How much meat did Carcharodontosaurus get through each day?
0:04:39 > 0:04:43The amazing answer is that a full-grown Carcharodontosaurus
0:04:43 > 0:04:49needed to eat a whopping 60 kilograms of meat every day
0:04:49 > 0:04:50just to survive.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54That's like having 480 hamburgers every day.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Standing upright on its two muscle-bound legs,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Carcharodontosaurus was taller than a giraffe.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09But, amazingly for such a large beast,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12we've recently discovered that it could really move it too.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Watch this.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24Over short distances, this hunter's explosively powerful legs
0:05:24 > 0:05:27could get it running up to 20 mph.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31That meant it could outrun lighter prey, like this Ouranosaurus.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36With speed and power combined,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Carcharodontosaurus was the monster truck of the dinosaur world.
0:05:41 > 0:05:46So, where in the world would you have found one of these ruthless killers?
0:05:46 > 0:05:52Well, most of the 95 million-year-old Carcharodontosaurus bones
0:05:52 > 0:05:55have been found in various sites across North Africa.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01Life for these big killers was a constant battle.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03For food.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05For territory.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08For dominance over other Carcharodontosaurs.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20But how can we tell this kind of head-to-head battle went on?
0:06:22 > 0:06:25By closely looking at the evidence, that's how.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30This is a recently-discovered lower jawbone.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34It came from a meat-eating dinosaur.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37It's big, nearly half a metre long.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39And the exciting bit...
0:06:39 > 0:06:40two bite marks.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45The size and shape of the tooth marks
0:06:45 > 0:06:47show that another dinosaur of the same species
0:06:47 > 0:06:49had sunk its teeth into this jaw.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55For a Carcharodontosaur to dominate its patch,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59it first had to see off rival Carcharodontosaurs.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06And that's often the way it still goes in the wild.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10This frilled lizard from Australia has found a good feeding area,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13with lots of tasty insects.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18So when another male lizard of the same size enters its patch,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20battle commences...
0:07:23 > 0:07:25..and goes on for a long time.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36But when two seven-tonne Carcharodontosaurs went at it,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40I wonder what kind of destruction that would cause?
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Time to head to the Planet Dinosaur Files workshop,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54which this week has gone outdoors.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58It's hard to imagine the damage these Carcharodontosauruses would cause
0:07:58 > 0:08:00as they throw their weight around.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04But to get an idea, we've built...
0:08:04 > 0:08:05a Carcharodontosaurus foot.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Now, it's very specifically shaped
0:08:08 > 0:08:13to match fossilized footprints that have been found from the real thing.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17It's made of steel, not flesh and bone, but hopefully,
0:08:17 > 0:08:21it's going to be strong enough for the task ahead.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22You see, I want to attach this
0:08:22 > 0:08:26to something that can provide the power and weight
0:08:26 > 0:08:29that would have been there with a real Carcharodontosaurus.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Rich!
0:08:32 > 0:08:33And this big digger is it.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35ROAR!
0:08:35 > 0:08:37A huge hydraulic excavator,
0:08:37 > 0:08:4235 tonnes of steel on caterpillar tracks.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46Rich, the driver, assures me that this enormous excavator
0:08:46 > 0:08:49can get my Carcharodontosaurus foot to step down
0:08:49 > 0:08:51with the seven tonnes of force
0:08:51 > 0:08:55that the real thing would have applied with every stride.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57Want to grab the back end? This is heavy, to say the least.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Cheers.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Thing is,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04first job is to attach it...
0:09:06 > 0:09:08..to this digger.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17That's attached.
0:09:17 > 0:09:22Now, let's see what kind of impact a dinosaur like this would have had.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28I need something else made of steel
0:09:28 > 0:09:31for my Carcharodontosaurus foot to tread on.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33So I've got myself a scrap car.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37Now obviously, they didn't have those 95 million years ago.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40But it's here to represent the unfortunate dinosaurs
0:09:40 > 0:09:45that may have got in the path of the mighty Carcharodontosaurus.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50Right, Rich, can you give this a big seven-tonne stamp?
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Erm, it didn't really stand a chance,
0:10:02 > 0:10:05and I think that's probably what a lot of dinosaurs
0:10:05 > 0:10:09that hung around North Africa 95 million years ago felt,
0:10:09 > 0:10:13because weight is a massive advantage in the battle for dominance.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16And the Carcharodontosaurus carried a lot of weight.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20And this one's angry.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24I'm not sure that's the kind of thing covered by car insurance.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26ROAR!
0:10:37 > 0:10:39So that's Carcharodontasaurus.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44A savage, heavyweight carnivore that dominated North Africa.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49For length, this beast was even longer than the mighty T-Rex,
0:10:49 > 0:10:50at 13 metres.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Weight-wise, a really hefty carnivore,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56seven tonnes of bone and muscle.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01And food? Well, this fella gobbled up
0:11:01 > 0:11:04an amazing 60 kilos of meat every day.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15But is Carcharodontosaurus the biggest dinosaur ever?
0:11:15 > 0:11:18No. Not by a long way.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26Because now we're entering the super-heavyweight class,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29and that means plant-eaters.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Carcharodontosaurus was huge for a meat-eater,
0:11:36 > 0:11:41but in our search for the biggest dinosaur on the prehistoric block,
0:11:41 > 0:11:45we've got much, much bigger giants to show you,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47like this monster.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50This is Paralititan.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Its name means "tidal giant",
0:11:56 > 0:12:01and this huge lumbering beast was a kind of dinosaur called a Sauropod.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06A four-legged, long-necked dinosaur.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Diplodocus was a Sauropod as well,
0:12:09 > 0:12:13and it's this species who top the prehistoric massive league.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Paralititan lived in North Africa
0:12:16 > 0:12:19at the same time as Carcharodontosaurus.
0:12:19 > 0:12:26But, unlike Carcharodontosaurus, this massive creature was a vegetarian.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Growing up to an amazing 26 metres,
0:12:30 > 0:12:37Its salad-only diet didn't stop it reaching a whopping 45 tonnes.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41That's nearly four times the weight of a Diplodocus.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48Dinosaur experts reckon that Paralititan's daily food intake
0:12:48 > 0:12:50was a huge 240 kilos.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54That's like 1,000 lettuces every day.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57But how do we know they could have grown so big?
0:12:57 > 0:12:59By examining the evidence, that's how.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06This is a front upper-leg bone of a Paralititan.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09It was found in Egypt in 2001,
0:13:09 > 0:13:14and measures a gob-smacking 1.69 metres.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16That's as tall as a full-grown man.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22It's one of a number of Paralititan bones recently discovered
0:13:22 > 0:13:27in North Africa, together with a vital piece of extra evidence...
0:13:28 > 0:13:31..fossils of prehistoric freshwater fish.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36They helped dinosaur detectives work out there was a river here,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38and so plenty of vegetation.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Enough to feed a growing Paralititan.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Because Paralititans were so huge,
0:13:45 > 0:13:49they didn't have the ability to move at speed like Carcharodontosaurus.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52But even travelling at their plodding pace,
0:13:52 > 0:13:57their massive bulk meant they could get very hot, very quickly.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01So, a constant supply of water
0:14:01 > 0:14:05was crucial for the survival of these giants. Without it,
0:14:05 > 0:14:07these monsters would be in serious trouble.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16In Africa today, elephants also need to keep themselves cool.
0:14:17 > 0:14:22An adult elephant will drink at least 100 litres of water every day.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24That's like drinking your bath.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Or what about the African buffalo?
0:14:29 > 0:14:32They're pretty hefty animals as well.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Adult males can weigh nearly a tonne,
0:14:36 > 0:14:41and like elephants, they need water every day to survive.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45But these visits to rivers or water holes are fraught with danger.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52Hungry predators, like these crocodiles, are stalking the buffalo.
0:14:55 > 0:14:56Rewind 95 million years again,
0:14:56 > 0:14:58and that's exactly what it was like
0:14:58 > 0:15:01for the huge, slow-moving Paralititans.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06The predators attacking them may be smaller than they are,
0:15:06 > 0:15:08but they're fiercer too.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13But of all the deadly threats out there,
0:15:13 > 0:15:17the most dangerous for the Paralititan was not these crocodiles.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20It's a beast we've already met.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Carcharodontosaurus.
0:15:22 > 0:15:28This carnivore is nearly seven times smaller than an adult Paralititan,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32so when hunting, it would most likely target the littlest.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39As with all species threatened by predators,
0:15:39 > 0:15:43it's the small, the young and the weak who are at most risk.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50But once the massive adult Paralititans arrive on the scene,
0:15:50 > 0:15:54Carcharodontosaurus is soon outmatched.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56This is a fight it can't win.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Back to the digger yard, where I'm bigging things up.
0:16:10 > 0:16:15I've had to bring in an even larger monster machine,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18a 45-tonne excavator, for my next demo.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22We've already seen the carnage caused by a Carcharodontosaur,
0:16:22 > 0:16:27but what would a Paralititan do if it started treading on things?
0:16:27 > 0:16:30To find out that, we've built...
0:16:30 > 0:16:31a Paralititan foot.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Now, this is the same size as a real Paralititan's foot would have been.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38All we need to do now
0:16:38 > 0:16:40is put a Paralititan amount of weight through it.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42And for that, we've got this.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45A truly stupendously large digger.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Now, what this needs to do
0:16:47 > 0:16:52is put 22-and-a-half tonnes of force down through that foot,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55because, when a 45-tonne Paralititan's walking along,
0:16:55 > 0:16:59that's the kind of force that's going to go through its feet.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03To make sure we've got the right force, we've built this gauge.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Now, that's your seven-tonne Carcharodontosaur,
0:17:06 > 0:17:10and this is where we need to get it to for the Paralititan.
0:17:10 > 0:17:11And what's it going to tread on?
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Well, this time, it's going to be treading on two cars.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18Cos if a Carcharodontosaur makes a mess of one car,
0:17:18 > 0:17:22I'd be intrigued to see what a Paralititan does to two.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Carcharodontosaurus's foot was impressive.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31So how will Paralititan do?
0:17:38 > 0:17:40A dinosaur like Paralititan
0:17:40 > 0:17:44moves much more slowly than a Carcharodontosaur,
0:17:44 > 0:17:47but once that huge weight starts having an impact,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50the forces unleashed are unbelievable.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Look at that!
0:17:52 > 0:17:55It just crushes cars like grapes!
0:17:55 > 0:17:58The first car's nearly disappeared into the second,
0:17:58 > 0:18:00and it's just a mass of metal.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03If a Paralititan strolls through a scrapyard, it ruins everything.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14So that's Paralititan.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Meat was off the menu for this North African giant.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23For length, this was the biggest dinosaur on its patch,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26an amazing 26 metres long.
0:18:27 > 0:18:28Weight-wise?
0:18:28 > 0:18:34There aren't many scales that could take this 45-tonne monster.
0:18:34 > 0:18:35And food?
0:18:35 > 0:18:40Well, this huge herbivore gobbled up 240 kilos of plants every day.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47But as enormous as Paralititan was,
0:18:47 > 0:18:51we've got another, even more astonishing new dinosaur discovery.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53It was in South America
0:18:53 > 0:18:57that the bones of a plant-eating dinosaur were recently discovered.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59It looks a bit like Paralititan,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01but it was even bigger.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07This is Argentinosaurus.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14It lived around the same time as Paralititan and Carcharodontosaurus,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16but not in Africa.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22Its bones have been found in South America, in what is now Argentina.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26The largest Argentinosaurs
0:19:26 > 0:19:30would stretch longer than two articulated lorries,
0:19:30 > 0:19:32an incredible 35 metres.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36They could weigh as much as 75 tonnes.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42Unbelievably, that's about the same weight as 2,000 ten-year-old kids.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49Being so big meant that any other dinosaur
0:19:49 > 0:19:53that got too close to Argentinosaurus could be in real danger.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Its steps were so heavy
0:19:56 > 0:20:00that in swampy ground, everywhere it trod would turn immediately
0:20:00 > 0:20:02into treacherous, deadly quicksand.
0:20:04 > 0:20:10It's almost impossible to comprehend the size of these enormous creatures.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21Maybe this Argentinosaurus leg bone could help you get an idea.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23It weighs half a tonne.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28It's one of many found in Argentina in 1993.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Just that single lower-leg bone,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35which would be the shin bone for a human, is, incredibly,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38taller than an average 13-year-old.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40Or, to put it another way,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44a fully-grown Argentinosaur weighed as much as ten elephants.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51But for me, the most amazing thing about these massive plant-eaters
0:20:51 > 0:20:53is the rate at which they grew.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01When they first hatched, they only weighed about five kilos.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04That's pretty much the same as a one-month old baby.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13But after 40 years of growth,
0:21:13 > 0:21:17they could end up being a staggering 15,000 times that size.
0:21:17 > 0:21:22And at their peak, they were putting on 40 kilos every day.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28The big question is - how were they able to grow so fast?
0:21:29 > 0:21:31The answer is by eating.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Lots...and lots.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40An African elephant
0:21:40 > 0:21:44has to eat for an astonishing 18 hours a day to keep going.
0:21:44 > 0:21:50In that time, it gets through 100 kilos of vegetation.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54That's about the same as 200 cabbages.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00But to get into the Argentinosaurus feeding league,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02you need to think much, much bigger.
0:22:04 > 0:22:11On a typical day, these dinosaurs ate an unbelievable 340 kilos of food.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14That's more than three times the amount an elephant would eat
0:22:14 > 0:22:16in the same period.
0:22:17 > 0:22:23Everything about it is geared to getting in as much food as possible,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25with the least amount of effort.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Starting with the neck.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Just like a giraffe, it's very long,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32so they can reach the plants they need to eat.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37It's like reaching over to the fridge for a snack
0:22:37 > 0:22:39without having to get off the sofa.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43But the way Argentinosaurus eats is just as important.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47Its table manners are terrible!
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Gulping down all its food whole.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Why?
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Chemicals in their vast stomachs
0:22:53 > 0:22:56helped these giants digest all that grub
0:22:56 > 0:22:59without wasting energy by chewing.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13Back at my dino digger yard, we're going massive.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15But just how massive?
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Let's see.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Now remember, an adult Argentinosaur is around 75 tonnes,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24nearly twice the weight of a Paralititan.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26So we're giving it a bigger job to do.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31Still two vehicles, but the bottom one is a very sturdy American Jeep.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Now, if you're a 75-tonne animal,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37you're going to need very big feet to support yourself.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39Feet this big.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42This is an Argentinosaur-sized foot.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44It is truly massive.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48As you can see, the Paralititan foot fits wholly within it.
0:23:48 > 0:23:49Now what we've got to do
0:23:49 > 0:23:52is put an Argentinosaur amount of weight through it,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55which we reckon would be about 37 and a half tonnes
0:23:55 > 0:23:57as it strolled along.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Rich is going to do that.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02I'm going to get out the way.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Carcharodontosaur's foot was savage.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Paralititan's was a crushing destroyer.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10How will Argentinosaurus do,
0:24:10 > 0:24:15now that there's a tough, one-and-a-half-tonne Jeep in its way?
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Phwoar!
0:24:33 > 0:24:36There we go! 37 and a half tonnes!
0:24:36 > 0:24:41Like the massive footfall of the Argentinosaurus,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43and look what it's done to those cars.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Completely destroyed. The sturdy American jeep, it's gone.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48That's amazing. Those cars, honestly,
0:24:48 > 0:24:52there's practically nothing structurally left of them.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55This huge herbivore
0:24:55 > 0:24:59really had the most destructive feet of any creature to walk the planet.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09And when other dinosaurs got in its way,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13that enormous weight could do an awful lot of damage.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28So that's Argentinosaurus,
0:25:28 > 0:25:32a dinosaur heavier than the total weight
0:25:32 > 0:25:36of all the children in a typical primary school.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40But how does it compare with our other big beasts?
0:25:41 > 0:25:44There was Carcharodontosaurus.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48A powerhouse combining size and speed.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55For length, it was longer than T-Rex, at 13 metres.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00Weight? This chunky carnivore tipped the scales at a hefty seven tonnes.
0:26:02 > 0:26:03And food?
0:26:03 > 0:26:07Well, this greedy beast guzzled 60 kilos of raw meat every day.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Then, the mighty Paralititan.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18A humungous herbivore that packed as much punch as a herd of hippos.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24Length? This was the longest dinosaur in Africa, at 26 metres.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30Weight-wise, this monster was a massive 45 tonnes.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32And daily food intake?
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Well, Paralititan put away
0:26:35 > 0:26:38an amazing 240 kilos of plants.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45And finally, the colossal Argentinosaurus.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49A dinosaur almost unimaginably huge.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54For length, it was an astonishing 35 metres long.
0:26:55 > 0:26:56Weight?
0:26:56 > 0:26:59It would pulverise anything in its path.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02A staggering 75 tonnes.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Finally, food.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09This fella would win every eating contest going in the dinosaur world,
0:27:09 > 0:27:13gobbling up 340 kilos of grub each day.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18This was a gargantuan plant-eater
0:27:18 > 0:27:23that ruled South America 95 million years ago.
0:27:23 > 0:27:29Dinosaurs dominated the planet for 160 million years.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33Many of these creatures were truly enormous.
0:27:33 > 0:27:38But for sheer size and weight, there is one dinosaur
0:27:38 > 0:27:42who stands quite literally head and shoulders above the others.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Argentinosaurus!
0:27:44 > 0:27:48It was not only the biggest dinosaur of all,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51but the largest creature ever to walk the earth.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Next time on Planet Dinosaur Files,
0:28:00 > 0:28:02we take to the air
0:28:02 > 0:28:04to meet some amazing prehistoric flyers,
0:28:04 > 0:28:09and discover just how good those wings really were.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:11 > 0:28:13E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk