Giganotosaurus

## Physiology

### Description

Large predatory dinosaur similar to, but larger than, *Allosaurus* with sharp, serrated teeth

### Attributes

Large body; sharp, serrated teeth; three-fingered claws; hunted sauropods; relatively fast; pack-hunter

## Biography

### Locations

South America

***Giganotosaurus*** (name meaning "*Giant Southern Lizard*") is a genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaur that originated during the Middle Cretaceous period in what is now South America. A powerful predator measuring 14 meters long, standing over 5 meters tall, and weighing 7 tons, it was one of the largest terrestrial carnivores known. Only *Tyrannosaurus* is larger, at a maximum of 15 meters long. *Allosaurus* and other Allosaurids were close relatives of *Giganotosaurus* whereas the African predatory dinosaur *Carcharodontosaurus* was a distant cousin.

In the Series 2 episode "***Clash of the Titans***", a small pack of *Giganotosaurus* was brought to the park from South America of 100 million years ago. One individual, named Gin, killed by a larger dinosaur. Of all of the park's *Giganotosaurus*, Gin is said to be the most dangerous.

## Facts

### Era & Discovery

*Giganotosaurus* lived in South America during the Middle Cretaceous period from 118 to 89 million years ago. For almost 30 million years, it was the apex predator of its time and hunted just about anything in its environment, from as small as *Iguanodon* to as large as *Argentinosaurus*. In 1993, the amateur fossil hunter Rubén D. Carolini discovered the tibia of a theropod dinosaur while driving a dune buggy in the badlands near Villa El Chocón, in the Neuquén province of Patagonia, Argentina.

In 1995, the specimen was preliminarily described in *Nature* by Coria and Salgado, who made it the holotype of the new genus and species: *Giganotosaurus carolinii* (parts of the skeleton were still encased in plaster at this time). Ever since then, many *Giganotosaurus* fossils have been found in parts of South America where Argentina is today.

### Physical Attributes

*Giganotosaurus* was a massive predator. Although almost as large as *Tyrannosaurus rex* and being slightly larger than *Spinosaurus*, *Giganotosaurus* was the largest and alpha predator of its time and region. They stood 16 – 18 feet (5 – 5.5 m) tall, measured 43 – 46 feet (13 – 14 m) in length, and weighed up to roughly 6 – 7 tons (13,000 – 15,000 lbs), making *Giganotosaurus* one of the largest theropod dinosaurs that ever walked planet Earth, second after *T. rex* itself.

In terms of physical appearance, *Giganotosaurus* was very similar to the Jurassic predator *Allosaurus*, despite the fact that *Giganotosaurus* was even larger and stronger. *Giganotosaurus* was depicted as being mostly brown with a white underbelly and its crest was dark green. Its legs had black spots running down the femur and white stripes along the tibia. It had a large body that ended in a long tail; a short neck with a large head; jaws that were lined with long, serrated teeth designed to slice flesh. On the top of its head, above its eyes, was a small head crest. It also had two relatively long arms with three digits per hand, each ending in a long, sharp curved claw. It also had a pair of long legs.

### Behavior & Traits

Like many predators, *Giganotosaurus* was both solitary and a group hunter, living and hunting in numbers of five or six individuals. At least some were known to stray from the pack and go off hunting on their own for prey individually. On their own, they would be able to hunt some of the smaller animals in their ecosystem, such as an *Iguanodon* as well as Early Cretaceous ankylosaurs and the smaller hypsilophodonts. A single *Giganotosaurus* would have a lot of trouble taking down a fully grown *Argentinosaurus* by itself.

However, hunting in packs enabled *Giganotosaurus* to hunt the largest prey in their time, *Argentinosaurus*. Once they brought down and fed on an *Argentinosaurus*, even if it was a juvenile, the *Giganotosaurus* pack wouldn't need to feed again for at least a few months. This massive predatory dinosaur was also an ambush predator and waited for the herbivores to come in closer, much like crocodiles waiting at river crossings. Generally, upon finding or seeing prey, *Giganotosaurus* would head to the prey, catch it in its jaws and immediately devour it.

## Trivia

* *Giganotosaurus* is the second-largest predatory dinosaur, as well as terrestrial carnivore, brought to the park.
* The sound effects of *Giganotosaurus* are the werewolf sounds featured in Teen Wolf as well as jaguar, leopard, lion, tiger, polar bear, elephant, and other dinosaur sounds.