Antetonitrus: The First of the Giants

Back in the Late Triassic, Antetonitrus was king of kings, the beast of beasts. Why? Cause by then, nature’s laws were rapidly changing. By 200 mya, whoever was the biggest, or the fastest, or even just the one who’s capable of crushing a whole dino under their foot. Antetonitrus was the local bully, even though it was a docile herbivore. It could get pretty mean, and no one likes messing with a dinosaur that has been estimated at a length of 28 metres. It was by all means the world’s first big sauropodomorph, and it marked the start of an era of gigantic, megaton creatures that would rise to their rival carnivores, and respond with sheer size.

Antetonitrus’s anatomy is remarkably similar to that of later sauropods, in saying that roughly 50% of their anatomy is shared. So, what was the other 50% equal to? The remaining amount is, in a stark contrast similar to Plateosaurus, in sharing a similar musculoskeletal structure in the foot. It appears to be a sauropod transitioning between a semi-quadrupedal state of walking to a fully semi-erect quadrupedal way of walking. Its neural structures are nearly fully reptilian, and its ontogeny rate is moderate. It requires high amounts of energy and food to fuel its humongous body. Just like later sauropods, it had hollow bones to reduce weight in an attempt to lower daily intakes.

Quick Facts: Antetonitrus
Age: Late Triassic, Norian
Length: Estimates vary from 11m to 28m
Habitat: Arid
Weight: Estimates vary from 1.5 metric tons to 9 metric tons
Formation: Southeast Africa, Lower Elliot