Longest animal's size is reduced

DENVER, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have recalculated the length of the longest animal that ever lived and found it actually was 40 percent shorter than previously estimated.

Scientists at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science have re-examined the fossil record of Seismosaurus and cut its length from 170 feet -- about the length of 10 military Humvees -- to about 110 feet. The new look at the animal also suggests it might be a close relative of Diplodocus, a common dinosaur.

"The bottom line is it's very, very hard to estimate length of dinosaurs from isolated bones," said paleontologist Spencer Lucas. "These estimates are not ideal."

The key to resizing Seismosaurus, Lucas said, was knowing where to place tail vertebrae of the incomplete, lone known specimen, which is on display at the museum. Earlier researchers had decided the tail, or caudal, vertebrae belonged far down the tail, meaning that to taper to an end after these vertebrae, the dino's tail had to trail on for a good distance more.