What Was The Lifespan Of A Dinosaur?

Different dinosaurs had varied lifespans, depending on their size and type. Similar to today’s animals, larger dinosaurs lived longer. For instance, big dinosaurs like the Brachiosaurus might have lived for up to 100 years. In contrast, smaller dinosaurs like Velociraptors probably lived about 20-30 years. Scientists estimate dinosaur lifespans by studying growth rings in their fossilized bones, much like counting tree rings to find out a tree’s age. The oldest tyrannosaur is estimated to have lived for around 30 years.

These growth rings can tell us how quickly a dinosaur grew at various stages of its life, but eventually dinosaurs with less prominent growth rings were found. Sauropods were thought to live upto 300 years in studies comparing them to crocodiles and tortoises, however the current consensus reveals that these giants lived as long as an elephant did.