But first impressions can be deceptive.
This isn't the parent.
This is a Skorpiovenator, a predator.
The skeleton found at the nest site
was almost certainly a nest raider, preying on the hatchlings.
The hatchlings' real parent
and the owner of the enormous vertebra is Argentinosaurus...
a plant-eating giant that dwarfs everything around it.
From the bones that were found,
we've calculated that Argentinosaurus was a colossal 35 metres long,
and weighed as much as 75 tons.
When born, the hatchlings themselves weigh a paltry five kilograms...
and need to fend for themselves immediately.
From studying the embryos and looking at the bones of the adults,
we know that the growth of these giants was phenomenal.
Over 40 years, they grow from five kilograms
to an astonishing 75,000 kilograms.
At their peak, it's been calculated they grow up to 40 kilograms every day.
The dinosaur embryos are so well preserved
we can see they already have their teeth,
in preparation for a lifetime of eating.
But becoming a giant takes more than simply turning tons of food into muscle.
It's about the success and survival of a species over millions of years.
One way to increase the chances of survival
is by having lots of offspring.
And the best way to do that is by laying eggs.
Lots of them.
The nest site in Patagonia stretches for an astonishing 15 kilometres
and contains tens of thousands of eggs.
And the site was used continuously for hundreds of thousands of years.