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sharp-clawed runner
Mapusaurus
Say it like this: “mah-puh-sore-us”
Mapusaurus roseae
Mapusaurus ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Argentina.
- When
- Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian · Turonian) · roughly 100.5 to 89.8 million years ago
- Named in
- 2006 · Coria, R. A.; Currie, P. J.
- Hip height
- Not established
- Length
- 5.5–12.6 m · 18–41 ft
- Weight
- 3–6 tonnes
- Found in
- Argentina · Huincul
- Food and walking
- Carnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Carcharodontosaurinae
The story in short
In 2006, R. A. Coria and P. J. Currie published the name Mapusaurus. The name means “earth lizard.”
Fossils referred to Mapusaurus date to the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian · Turonian), roughly 100.5 to 89.8 million years ago. Finds come from Argentina, including the Huincul Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Mapusaurus at a length near 5.5–12.6 m and a body mass around 3–6 tonnes.
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
Giganotosaurus
Giganotosaurus carolinii
Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) · roughly 100.5 to 93.9 million years ago
Meraxes
Meraxes gigas
Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian · Turonian) · roughly 100.5 to 89.8 million years ago