Giganotosaurus
Giganotosaurus carolinii • "Giant Southern Lizard"
Giganotosaurus was a very large meat-eating theropod from Late Cretaceous Argentina. It is one of the largest known land predators, but its fossils are incomplete, so comparisons of its maximum size with other giant theropods remain estimates.
- Length
- ≈13.2 m
- Weight
- ≈8.5 t
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Danger
- ★★★★★
Overview
The giant carcharodontosaurid ruler of prehistoric South America. Giganotosaurus was longer than T-Rex and specialized in taking down colossal titanosaurs like Argentinosaurus using pack coordination and razor-blade teeth that caused catastrophic blood loss.
“Discovered in 1993 by an amateur fossil hunter named Rubén Carolini, who spotted a giant fossilized shin bone sticking out of the Patagonian desert while riding a dune buggy.”
Key facts
Strengths
- Slicing bite designed for inflicting massive hemorrhagic wounds on giant sauropods
- High straight-line speed for a 8.5-tonne apex predator
- Longer body length than most T-Rex specimens
- Pack-hunting capability against gigantic Argentinosaurus herds
Weaknesses
- Lower jaw bite compression compared to tyrannosaurids (relies on slicing, not bone crushing)
- Narrower skull structure susceptible to heavy lateral impact trauma
- Less stereoscopic binocular vision depth perception
Natural weapons
- 8-inch flat blade-like serrated slicing teeth (carcharodontosaurid design)
- 1.6-meter skull with wide cutting jaw sweep
- Muscular legs capable of maintaining steady pursuit sprint speeds
Movies vs. science
Myth: Jurassic World Dominion labeled it "the biggest carnivore the world has ever seen" and an indestructible monster.
Reality: While colossal (13.2m), Spinosaurus was longer (15m) and T-Rex had significantly more bone-crushing jaw mass.
Size & simulator stats
Estimated at around 13 m long. No complete skeleton has been found, so its total size and mass remain uncertain.
- Length
- 13.2 m
- Height
- 4.2 m
- Weight
- 8.5 t
Illustrative simulator values (not measured biology)
See how Giganotosaurus measures up in the sourced size comparison chart.
Habitat
Arid scrublands, braided river valleys, and open floodplain savannahs of Cretaceous South America.
Argentina, in South America.
Diet
Hunted gigantic titanosaurian sauropods (Argentinosaurus, Andesaurus) and medium-sized ornithopods.
Carnivore. It ate other animals, but the exact prey is uncertain; pack hunting and attacks on giant sauropods are hypotheses rather than established facts.
Fossils & discovery
First described from Argentina in 1993 (Candeleros Formation (Patagonia)).Discovered in 1993 by an amateur fossil hunter named Rubén Carolini, who spotted a giant fossilized shin bone sticking out of the Patagonian desert while riding a dune buggy.
Research sources
Sources checked on by the Dinosaurs Names Editorial Team. Editorial policy
Gallery
Related dinosaurs
Battle Arena
Can anything beat Giganotosaurus?
Send Giganotosaurus into an illustrative matchup against any other species and compare attack, defense, and bite force.
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