FACT SHEET: Giganotosaurus

FACT SHEET: giganotosaurus

NAME: GIGANOTOSAURUS (JIG-an-oh-toh-SAW-rus), “Giant Southern Lizard” SIZE: 45 feet long, 12 feet tall (the size of a locomotive), weighed 8 tons TYPE OF DIET: Carnivore (large dinosaurs) WHEN: Late Cretaceous period (100 million years ago) WHERE: Argentina (South America)

When the fossilized skeleton of Giganotosaurus was discovered in 1995, many people got very excited. It was one of the largest known carnivores ever to walk the earth. Giganotosaurus means "giant southern lizard" because it was found in Argentina, South America. Only 70 percent of the skeleton was found, but it was enough to re-build this giant creature. It was about 45 feet long: that’s about the size of a locomotive. It was five feet longer than Tyrannosaurus rex and about two tons heavier. Giganotosaurus wasn’t a very intelligent dinosaur. Its brain was about the size of a banana. Giganotosaurus walked on two thick, powerful legs and had enormous jaws. Its teeth were 8 inches long and serrated like the edge of a saw. Giganotosaurus lived about 100 million years ago. Giganotosaurus may have hunted animals much larger than itself, such as the huge sauropod plant-eaters like Brontosaurus and Diplodocus. The skeleton of a 75 foot-long herbivore was found right next to the fossil of a Giganotosaurus. It had a long, skinny tail which was useful for balance. This means it could turn quickly while running and jumping. Its tail shot straight out behind it and was kept far off the ground. Several skeletons of Giganotosaurus were found together in the same place. That means that they probably moved around in groups. Paleontologists studying Giganotosaurus have found many skeletons with broken ribs and cracked shoulder bones. Giganotosaurus probably fell while it was running, and the heavy weight of its body crushed its own bones.