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sharp-clawed runner
Giganotosaurus
Say it like this: “GIG-uh-NOH-tuh-SOR-uhs”
Giganotosaurus carolinii
Giganotosaurus ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Argentina.
- When
- Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) · roughly 100.5 to 93.9 million years ago
- Named in
- 1995 · Coria, R. A.; Salgado, L.
- Hip height
- 5.5 m · 18 ft
- Length
- 13 m · 43 ft
- Weight
- Not established
- Found in
- Argentina · Candeleros
- Food and walking
- Carnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Carcharodontosaurinae
The story in short
In 1995, R. A. Coria and L. Salgado published the name Giganotosaurus. The name means “giant southern lizard.”
It lived in the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian), roughly 100.5 to 93.9 million years ago. Finds come from Argentina, including the Candeleros Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Giganotosaurus at a length near 13 m and hips about 5.5 m high.
On the family tree it sits in Carcharodontosaurinae, among the theropod dinosaurs.
Close relatives
Carcharodontosaurus
Carcharodontosaurus saharicus
Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) · roughly 100.5 to 93.9 million years ago
Mapusaurus
Mapusaurus roseae
Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian · Turonian) · roughly 100.5 to 89.8 million years ago
Meraxes
Meraxes gigas
Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian · Turonian) · roughly 100.5 to 89.8 million years ago