Giganotosaurus Was One of the Largest Carnivorous Dinosaurs That Ever Lived

T. rexandGiganotosauruswere both representatives of the theropoda clade. (A "clade" is a group of organisms which includes a common ancestor species and all of its presumed descendents.) Hollow-boned and bipedal, thetheropodswere (and are) a highly successful bunch. On the list of documented theropods, you'll find every carnivorous dinosaur yet discovered, quite a few plant-gobbling species and all birds, living and extinct.

The last nonavian dinos were wiped out at the close of the Cretaceous period, an expanse of geologic time that lasted from 145 to 66 million years ago. Its conclusion marked the end of theMesozoic Era, sometimes called "The Age of Dinosaurs."

Tyrannosaurus rexlived in North America during the twilight of the Cretaceous, making its evolutionary debut around 68 million years before the present. Our buddyGiganotosauruswas the product of another time — and a different landmass.

原产于阿根廷西部,在earlier in the Cretaceous, roughly 98 to 97 million years ago. South America was a realm of giants back then. Huge sauropods, or "long-necked dinosaurs,"roamed the countryside, with some species — likeAndesaurusandLimayasaurus——延伸大约50feet (15 meters) long. Rounding out the local bestiary were crocodylians, early snakes and beaked herbivores.

No doubtGiganotosauruskept its neighbors on guard. The theropod'sdiscoverywas first announced in 1995 by paleontologists Rodolfo A. Coria and Leonardo Salgado. In all the years since, we have yet to find a complete skeleton. However, the backbones and tail vertebrae at our disposal suggestGiganotosauruswas at least 41 feet (12.5 meters) inlength.

SoGiganotosaurusmight've been slightly longer thanTyrannosaurus.Cool beans.

On the other hand, a 2014 paperpublished in the journal Plos Biology, arguedT. rexhad a much heavier build. Using the circumference of its upper leg bone, Roger Benson and his colleagues calculated that a matureGiganotosaurusweighed about 13,448 pounds (6,100 kilograms). The same technique putT. rexat a whopping 16,975 pounds (7,700 kilograms).

Weight gaps are all well and good, but the jaws tell better stories. Anatomical evidence suggests these two carnivores used very different methods to bring down their prey.

Thick and banana-shaped, the teeth ofTyrannosauruswould've excelled at crushing bone. In contrast,Giganotosaurushad tall, skinny teeth which looked an awful lot like recurvedkitchen knives. Serrated on both sides, the pearly whites were housed inside a narrow snout. (By the way,Giganotosaurushad a monstrous skull; scientists estimate the noggin was around 6 feet — or 2 meters — long.)

Combine these features and you're looking at a theropod that probably killed by slicing ribbons of meat off its unfortunate prey — as opposed to shattering bones. Once bitten, a victim may have bled out while the carnivore lurked nearby.

Giganotosaurushails from one of the fossil record's most intimidating families: the carcharodontosaurids.

If you're into sharks, that name should ring a bell; scientists call the great whiteCarcharodon carcharias. Likewise, the word "carcharodontosaurid" roughly means "shark-toothed lizard" in Greek.

Steve Brusatte is a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh who's studied these remarkable theropods — and happens to be a scientific adviser for the next "Jurassic World" movie.

"The roster of carcharodontosaurid fossils has expanded tremendously over the last decade as people have found new fossils all over the world, particularly in South America and Africa, but also in Asia and Europe," says Brusatte in an email. "Most carcharodontosaurids [likeGiganotosaurus] were giant meat-eating dinosaurs with deep jaws and sharp, thin, almost shark-like teeth. They were the largest and most formidable predators in many ecosystems during the early to middle part of the Cretaceous, before the rise of tyrannosaurs."

Indeed,T. rexhad some puny forebears. The first members of its lineage werehuman-sized predatorsthat showed up around 170 million years ago. Giant tyrannosaurs wouldn't start evolving until the late Cretaceous Period, after the mighty carcharodontosaurids died out.

"This changeover remains a mystery," explains Brusatte. "We don't really know why it happened, and it is one of the biggest remaining mysteries of dinosaur evolution, in my opinion."