10 Cool Facts About Giganotosaurus
An up-and-comer in the elite club of huge, terrifying, meat-eating dinosaurs, Giganotosaurus has lately been attracting almost as much press as Tyrannosaurus rex and Spinosaurus. On the following article, you’ll discover 10 fascinating Giganotosaurus facts–and why, pound for pound, the Giant Southern Lizard may have been even more fearsome than its better-known relatives.
The Name Giganotosaurus Has Nothing to Do with “Gigantic”
Giganotosaurus Was Bigger than Tyrannosaurus rex
Giganotosaurus May Have Preyed on Argentinosaurus
Giganotosaurus Was the Largest Meat-Eating Dinosaur of South America
Although it wasn’t the largest theropod of the Mesozoic Era – that honor, as stated previously, belongs to the African Spinosaurus–Giganotosaurus takes the crown as the largest meat-eating dinosaur of Cretaceous South America. (Fittingly enough, its presumed prey Argentinosaurus holds the title of “largest South American titanosaur.”) South America, by the way, is where the very first dinosaurs evolved way back during the middle Triassic period, about 230 million years ago.
Giganotosaurus Preceded T. Rex by 30 Million Years
Giganotosaurus prowled the plains and woodlands of South America about 95 million years ago, a whopping 30 million years before its more famous relative, Tyrannosaurus rex, reared its head in North America. Oddly enough, though, Giganotosaurus was a near-contemporary of the biggest known meat-eating dinosaur, Spinosaurus. Why were the meat-eating dinosaurs of the late Cretaceous period comparatively petite compared to their middle Cretaceous forebears?
No one knows, but it may have had something to do with climate or the relative availability of prey.
Giganotosaurus Tyrannosaurus
| Period | Early Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period (97 million years ago) | Upper Cretaceous Period (67 to 65.5 million years ago) |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 12 – 15 m (40-46 feet) | 12-15 m ( 40-50 feet) |
| Movement | Biped; walked on two large, powerful back legs; fairly agile; could travel up to 31 mph. | Bipedal, walked upright; powerful tail allowed it to move quickly; could run up to 45 mph. |
| Diet | Carnivorous; preyed on herbivore dinosaurs | Carnivorous; preyed on herbivorous dinosaurs, other T. Rex, scavenge |
| Etymology | The name Giganotosaurus means “giant southern lizard” from Greek gigas (γίγας) meaning “giant”, notos (νότος) meaning “southern” and -sauros (-σαύρος) meaning “lizard”. | The name “Tyrannosaurus” means “tyrant lizard”, from Greek ”tyrannos” (τύραννος) meaning “tyrant, ” and sauros (σαῦρος) meaning “lizard”. |
| Location | South America | Western North America, present Mongolia |
| Specimens | July 1993 discovery – first skeleton 70% complete. | Partial skeleton found in 1902. More than 30 partial Tyrannosaurus specimens have been found since. Over 30 specimens exist. |
| Height | 7 m (23 feet) | 4-7 m (15-23 feet) |
| First discovered | 1993 | 1874 |
| Kingdom | Animalia | Animalia |
| Introduction | Giganotosaurus (“giant southern lizard”) is a genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaur. | Tyrannosaurus ( “tyrant lizard”) is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. |
| Phylum | Chordata | Chordata |
| Species | G. carolinii | T. Rex |
| Class | Reptilia | Reptila |
| Head | Larger than most adult humans; relatively small brain; long skull; back of the skull had a steep forward incline. | Massive, thick skull; mouth full of serrated teeth . |
| Teeth | Sharp, 8-inch teeth; short, narrow with serrated edges | Serrated, conical, continually replaced |
| Arms | 2 short, powerful arms with sharp claws on the end of its three-fingered “hands”. | 2 puny arms, couldn’t reach its mouth, two-fingered “hands”. |
| Tail | Thin, pointed tail | Powerful, pointed tail |
Giganotosaurus Was Speedier Than T. rex
(Bear in mind that Giganotosaurus wasn’t technically a tyrannosaur, but a type of theropod known as a “carcharodontosaur.”)
Giganotosaurus Had an Unusually Small Brain for its Size
Giganotosaurus Was Discovered by an Amateur Fossil Hunter
Not all dinosaur discoveries can be credited to trained professionals. Giganotosaurus was unearthed in the Patagonian region of Argentina, in 1993, by an amateur fossil hunter named Ruben Dario Carolini. The paleontologists who examined the “type specimen” acknowledged Carolini’s contribution by naming the new dinosaur Giganotosaurus carolinii (to date, this is still the only known Giganotosaurus species).
To Date, No One Has Identified a Complete Giganotosaurus Skeleton
As is the case with many dinosaurs, Giganotosaurus was "diagnosed" based on incomplete fossil remains, in this case a set of bones representing a single adult specimen. The skeleton discovered by Ruben Carolini in 1993 is about 70 percent complete, including the skull, hips, and most of the back and leg bones. To date, researchers have identified mere fragments of this dinosaur's skull, belonging to a second individual--which is still enough to peg this dinosaur as a carcharodontosaur
As is the case with many dinosaurs, Giganotosaurus was “diagnosed” based on incomplete fossil remains, in this case a set of bones representing a single adult specimen. The skeleton discovered by Ruben Carolini in 1993 is about 70 percent complete, including the skull, hips, and most of the back and leg bones. To date, researchers have identified mere fragments of this dinosaur’s skull, belonging to a second individual–which is still enough to peg this dinosaur as a carcharodontosaur.
Giganotosaurus Was Closely Related to Carcharodontosaurus
There’s something about giant predatory dinosaurs that inspires paleontologists to come up with cool-sounding names. Carcharodontosaurus (“great white shark lizard”) and Tyrannotitan (“giant tyrant”) were both close cousins of Giganotosaurus, though the first lived in northern Africa rather than South America. (The exception to this terrifying-name rule is the plain-vanilla-sounding Mapusaurus, aka the “earth lizard,” another plus-sized Giganotosaurus relative.)
Article by www.NationalGeographic.com
