Giganotosaurus carolinii

Overview

Giganotosaurus, meaning "giant southern lizard," was one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs ever discovered. This massive predator roamed what is now Argentina during the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 99-97 million years ago, potentially hunting the enormous sauropods that shared its world.

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Taxonomy & Classification

• Clade: Theropoda
• Family: Carcharodontosauridae
• Diet: Carnivorous
• Locomotion: Bipedal

Note: Despite the similar-sounding name, Giganotosaurus is NOT closely related to T. rex—it belongs to a completely different family!

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Physical Characteristics

Size & Build

• Length: 12-13 meters (40-43 feet)
• Weight: 4,200-14,000 kg (estimates vary widely)
• Skull Length: 1.6-1.8 meters (5-6 feet)
• Height: About 4 meters (13 feet) at the hips

Comparison to T. rex

Giganotosaurus was:

• Longer than T. rex (but T. rex was more heavily built)
• Had a larger skull but smaller brain
• Lighter and faster than the bulky T. rex
• Had longer arms with three clawed fingers (T. rex had two)

Teeth & Jaws

• Teeth were 8 inches (20 cm) long
• Serrated edges like steak knives
• Designed for slicing flesh, not crushing bone
• Could deliver devastating slashing bites

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Hunting Giant Prey

Sauropod Hunter?

Giganotosaurus may have hunted the largest dinosaurs ever:

• Shared its world with Argentinosaurus (100+ ton sauropods!)
• Fossil evidence suggests possible pack hunting
• Multiple Giganotosaurus skeletons found together
• Working together, they could potentially take down giants

Hunting Strategy

Scientists believe Giganotosaurus:

• Used speed to chase prey (up to 50 km/h or 31 mph)
• Made slashing attacks to wound and bleed out prey
• May have ambushed from hiding
• Possibly hunted in groups like modern wolves

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Discovery Story

Found by Accident

• Discovered by amateur fossil hunter Rubén Carolini in 1993
• Found in Patagonia, Argentina
• Named carolinii in his honor
• One of the most complete large theropod skeletons from South America

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Giganotosaurus vs. T. rex

Feature	Giganotosaurus	T. rex
Length	12-13m	12-15m
Weight	4-8 tons	7-9 tons
Skull	Longer, narrower	Shorter, more powerful
Arms	Longer, 3 fingers	Tiny, 2 fingers
Bite Force	Lower	Strongest of any land animal
Brain Size	Smaller	Larger
Speed	Faster	Slower

They never fought! They lived on different continents, 30 million years apart.

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Habitat

Giganotosaurus lived in:

• Floodplains and river valleys
• Semi-arid climate with seasonal rains
• Forests of conifers and ferns
• Alongside massive herbivores like Argentinosaurus

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Pop Culture

Movie Star

• Featured prominently in Jurassic World Dominion
• Often portrayed as a rival to T. rex
• Popular in documentaries and video games
• Captures imagination as a "bigger than T. rex" predator

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Cool Facts

• Giganotosaurus had a brain the size of a banana!
• It lived 30 million years before T. rex
• Its teeth could slice through flesh faster than T. rex's crushing bite
• Found in the same formation as Argentinosaurus—possibly predator and prey!
• Named by scientists in 1995—a relatively recent discovery
• Multiple individuals found together suggests social behavior

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Giganotosaurus was South America's answer to the great predatory dinosaurs—a sleek, fast, and deadly hunter that took on the biggest prey on Earth!