New York’s American Museum of Natural History has unveiled a first at the museum; Titanosaur – the largest ever dinosaur to go on display.

Opened to the public on Friday (15 January), the humongous dinosaur – which stretches 122ft (37.2m) – is so large its head sticks out of the room it will now call home.

Excavated in 2014 in Argentina, the one-of-a-kind dinosaur is so newly discovered it is yet to have been given a scientific name.

The entire dinosaur weighs around 70 tons, meaning it would be too heavy to mount and display. Instead the museum called on Research Casting International (RCI) to create a replica version made of fibreglass. RCI digitally scanned the fossilised bones in Argentina – some still being excavated – to 3D print the gargantuan beast. Each bone has been replicated to perfection, with 10 to 15 scans of each piece to ensure accuracy.

"This is probably a young adult, so it's not even full grown," said paleontologist Michael Novacek. "There may be bigger dinosaurs found in the future. We don't know."

In addition to the giant replica, one femur found at the excavation site will be among five original fossils on temporary view with the Titanosaur. The temporary exhibition will be on display at the museum until 19 January 2020.

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