Researchers discover enormous 65-ton, 85-foot-long 'Dreadnoughtus' dinosaur

Meet Dreadnoughtus, a newly-discovered dinosaur so massive its name translates to "fears nothing."

At 85 feet long, 30 feet tall, and a staggering 65 tons, the dinosaur is one of the largest land animals ever to have lived. For comparison's sake, T. Rex weighed about eight tons; an empty Boeing 737 weighs a comparatively light 50 tons.

(PhyloPic/Lacovara et. al/Boeing/Campione/Evans/Benson et. al, via The Washington Post)

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Discovered in 2005 in the Patagonia region of Argentina, and announced Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, the fossil is the most complete specimen of a titanosaur yet. The dino was so huge researchers say it may have had to eat on a near-constant basis to maintain its size. And given its enormous tail and clawed feet, it probably wouldn't have had any trouble thwarting foolish would-be predators, according to Drexel University professor and lead author Kenneth Lacovara.

"I can't imagine that it was a good idea to attack a full-grown, healthy Dreadnoughtus," he told Discovery News.

That sounds like sage advice, even if it spoils my time-traveling plans for the weekend.