Mapusaurus roseae

Overview

Mapusaurus was one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs ever discovered—a massive predator that lived approximately 97-93 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous in Argentina. But what makes Mapusaurus truly special isn't just its size—it's that multiple individuals were found buried together, suggesting these giant killers may have hunted in packs!

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Taxonomy & Classification

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

Mapusaurus was closely related to other giant predators like Giganotosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus.

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Physical Characteristics

Size & Build

• Length: 11-12 meters (36-40 feet)
• Height: About 4 meters (13 feet) at the hip
• Weight: 3,000-6,000 kg (3.3-6.6 tons)
• Skull Length: Over 1.5 meters (5 feet)!

Built for Killing

• Long, narrow skull with powerful jaws
• Thin, blade-like teeth for slicing through flesh
• Strong, muscular legs for chasing prey
• Short arms with sharp claws
• Long, stiff tail for balance while running

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Pack Hunters?

The Bone Bed Discovery

What makes Mapusaurus unique is how it was found:

• At least 7 individuals found together!
• Ranged from young to adult
• Found in a single bone bed in Argentina
• Suggests they lived (and died) together

Hunting in Groups

If Mapusaurus hunted in packs:

• Could take down giant sauropods like Argentinosaurus!
• Similar to how wolves hunt large prey today
• Young ones could learn from experienced hunters
• Groups could coordinate attacks
• This is rare—most large theropods were probably solitary

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Hunting the Giants

Prey: Argentinosaurus

Mapusaurus lived alongside the largest dinosaurs ever:

• Argentinosaurus was 30-35 meters long!
• Weighed up to 80 tons—way too big for one predator
• But a pack of Mapusaurus might bring one down!
• Found in the same rock formation as Argentinosaurus
• Perfect predator-prey relationship

Hunting Strategy

How might a pack attack a giant sauropod?

• Target young, old, or sick individuals
• Slash and bleed attack—wound and follow
• Attack the legs and tail to immobilize
• Take turns wearing down the prey
• Eventually the giant would collapse from blood loss

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Mapusaurus vs. Other Giant Theropods

Theropod	Length	Weight	Diet	Location
Mapusaurus	11-12m	3-6 tons	Carnivore	Argentina
Giganotosaurus	12-13m	6-8 tons	Carnivore	Argentina
T. rex	12m	8-9 tons	Carnivore	North America
Carcharodontosaurus	12-13m	6 tons	Carnivore	Africa

Mapusaurus was slightly smaller but may have had the advantage of teamwork!

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The Cañadón del Gato Bone Bed

An Incredible Discovery

• Found in the Huincul Formation of Neuquén, Argentina
• Discovered in the late 1990s
• Named in 2006
• One of the few sites showing group behavior in large theropods
• Paleontologists spent years excavating the bones

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Why "Mapusaurus"?

Name Meaning

• "Mapu" means "Earth" or "land" in Mapuche (indigenous language)
• "Saurus" means "lizard"
• So Mapusaurus = "Earth lizard"
• Named to honor the Mapuche people of Argentina
• Species name "roseae" honors Rose Letwin, who supported the research

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Living in Cretaceous Argentina

The Ecosystem

Mapusaurus shared its world with:

• Argentinosaurus—the giant sauropod prey
• Giganotosaurus—another massive predator
• Various smaller dinosaurs
• Pterosaurs overhead
• A warm, somewhat dry environment with rivers

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Cool Facts

• Mapusaurus is one of the only large theropods with evidence of group behavior!
• A pack could potentially bring down prey 10 times their individual weight
• The bone bed contained individuals of different ages—like a real family group
• Its teeth were designed to slice, not crush—different from T. rex
• Mapusaurus and Giganotosaurus were neighbors and possibly competitors
• Some scientists think the group died together in a flash flood
• The discovery changed how we think about predator behavior in dinosaurs

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Mapusaurus was the wolf of the dinosaur world—a pack hunter that proves sometimes teamwork makes the dream work, even 95 million years ago!