As the name implies, Giganotosaurus, simply put, was a very, very large carnivorous dinosaur that would have matched Tyrannosaurus Rex in structure and height, with fossil remains showing that in some cases they were slightly larger. Estimates have placed the length of the giant dinosaur, Giganotosaurus, around the 46-foot mark, and it would have walked upright on two legs. Despite the imposing name of Giganotosaurus, we do know however that larger carnivores have existed, such as Spinosaurus, which is perhaps one of the reasons why they do not have the same name recognition as the previous ones. dinosaurs mentioned.
Giganotosaurus or Giga, as we will call them now, would have lived in the late Cretaceous period, around 100 million to 96 million years ago. Fossil remains have been discovered in Argentina, a part of South America that is becoming a veritable hotbed for finding larger and larger dinosaur remains.
The first discovery of the Giga was in the Patagonia region of Argentina in 1994, and the fossils were found near the remains of a 75-foot-long herbivore, which has left some experts speculating that it had been a victim of the Giga. The dinosaur earned its name in 1995 and perhaps it is the fact that they have only been known for a brief period, so it is not as instantly recognizable as some of the other more famous dinosaurs found in the 19th century.
Gigas potentially would have weighed around the 8-ton mark, which is slightly lighter than the Tyrannosaurus Rex. A fully grown adult would have been over 11 feet at hip height and would have had large serrated teeth, approximately 8 inches long. Like all dinosaurs of this shape, tall with small arms and a large head, there has been a debate regarding travel speed. Again, like the T-Rex, experts have concluded that Giga would have been very fast, using his tail as a counterweight and would have hunted his prey, rather than being a scavenger.
Giganotosaurus is another amazing dinosaur. The fact that we just discovered this creature is probably the main reason most people haven’t heard of it. If luck was reversed and it had been discovered in the early years of fossil collecting, then Giga would likely have appeared in many movies and would be a household name similar to the Tyrannosaurus Rex. There are some great pictures of what experts think this dinosaur looked like, which can be found in dinosaur books and online. Both Safari and Bullyland have created brilliant models that are always worth a look.