Sauropods, giant four-legged dinosaurs with long necks and tails, have been known to science for a long time. But recent discoveries have transformed our understanding of these animals, especially titanosaurs, which have proven to be extremely successful and widespread around the world.

Titanosaurs, which appeared at the beginning of the Cretaceous period when the continents were still close to each other, quickly spread across the planet. Their diversity and size are astonishing: from the largest dinosaurs, such as Argentinosaurus, to the smallest, the size of an African elephant.

Titanosaurs were characterized by extremely rapid growth, similar to the growth of mammals, allowing them to reach gigantic sizes in just a few decades. Their diet was diverse and included plants from different environments. Interestingly, titanosaurs changed their teeth very frequently, approximately every 20 days.

If not for a catastrophic impact with an asteroid 66 million years ago, titanosaurs may have continued to exist today because they were highly adapted to their environment and had successful survival strategies.

Titanosaur life began with tiny grapefruit-sized eggs from which tiny babies hatched. Unlike many modern reptiles that lay eggs and lay them down, the fact that titanosaurs appeared to return to the same spawning site suggests some form of reproductive behavior.

Data from nests and coprolites (fossilized feces) indicate that titanosaurs had a diverse diet that included both low-growing plants and leaves and tree branches. This diversity in diet, along with a rapid growth rate, allowed titanosaurs to efficiently use the available resources in their environment.

Chemical analysis of fossilized teeth and eggshells showed that the body temperature of titanosaurs was higher than that of modern reptiles, but slightly lower than the body temperature of most birds and mammals. This, together with their lifestyle and diet, suggests that titanosaurs were highly adapted to their ecological environment and could compete with other animals for resources.

Despite their huge size and achievements, titanosaurs became extinct along with other dinosaurs due to an asteroid impact. Their absence after a mass extinction suggests that even the most adapted and widespread species can disappear due to global catastrophes. Source