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"Only now do we know the true story- Megarachne was a giant prehistoric sea scorpion." |
Seismosaurus was one of the biggest creatures ever to live on Earth. It was longer than the blue whale, the biggest animal alive today; plus, this whopping dino weighed close to one-quarter of a million pounds. A long neck and even longer tail stretched like giant snakes from either end of this dinosaur's body. It could chomp food at one end while fighting off enemies with the other!
Pushover: Unlike many sauropods, seismosaurus couldn't extend its neck fully to reach the highest leaves from the very tops of trees. After munching the lower leaves, the dino used its massive weight to push trees over, then ate the leaves within reach.
Balancing Act: Seismosaurus' neck was 30 feet long, and at the other end its tail stretched out for 50 feet. Without the long tail for balance, the beast would have toppled over with every step it took.
Fuel the "Jet"[]
Huge spinal bones gave this dino great control of its massive tail.
Having a body that weighed more than a jumbo jet required that this dino keep itself fueled with a constant supply of plants. Scientists think seismosaurus spent all but a few hours of every day eating, and it used its long neck to grab all the food it could. The beast could stand more than 30 feet from the edge of a forest and eat from the outer trees, then walk a few steps and stick its head farther in, eat more, then reach even farther in until its body was right at the edge of the tree line, with its neck stretching 30 feet deep into the forest.
Cool Whip: Many experts think seismosaurus had incredible control over its 12-ton tail, and could lash it back and forth with great strength, like a whip. The dino might have used this as a weapon to keep attackers away.
Stone Swallower: Scientists have found smooth stones along with seismosaurus fossils, indicating that the creature swallowed rocks in order to grind up leaves to make it easier to digest them.
150 Million Years Later...[]
- An old seismosaurus falls to the ground with a thunderous crash and dies. Scavengers are soon feasting on its rotting meat.
- Over time, all its edible flesh is stripped from the dino's skeleton, and its remaining flesh begins to rot away and expose the bones.
- A sudden sandstorm covers the bones and protects them from the elements, preserving the fossils for millions of years until scientists discover them.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- Seismosaurus is an invalid genus. It is now identified as a Diplodocus.
- The only trading card it has is Platinum Defense.
- This is the second longest creature in the Monsters of the past set, at 110 feet long. It is only shorter than the Argentinosaurus, at 150 feet.
- It is the fifth longest creature in the series, as the Giant Siphonophore is listed at 140 feet, and counting the Lion's Mane Jellyfish and Portuguese Man-O-War's tentacles, they are 115 and 150 feet, respectively.
- The seismosaurus is featured in Timeline Tracker on Monster Mania 73.