Tidal Giants

©Dmitry Bogdanov

In the Bahariya Formation of Egypt in the early 1900's Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach was a prolific discoverer of dinosaurs. In 2001 Joshua Smith et al. named a tetrapod, the first discovered in the area since 1935, after Stromer. They named this supersized sauropod Paralititan stromeri (meaning Tidal Giant). The humerus of Paralititan measures approsimately 5.54ft (1.69m) making it the longest sauropod humerus discovered thus far. The total length, based off of the skeletal remains, is about 85ft (26m). Giant humeri and a long body placed body mass estimates at approximately 59 tonnes. This weight places Paralititan into a weight range like that of modern Right Whales. The skeleton was discovered in a tidal mangrove area; fossil mangrove remains were discovered near the remains of the skeleton as well. Mangrove biomes are not typically rife with herbivorous fossil animal remains, making Paralititan one of the few, and perhaps only, herbivores evidenced to have lived in a mangrove shoreline area.