A Pack of Huge Meat Eating Dinos Found - Mapusaurus roseae
Here’s some BIG dino news for you! Fossils of a new giant carnivore have been found in Argentina. Interestingly, a group of the animals were found together leading researchers to believe they may have hunted in packs.
Paleontologists Rodolfo Coria and Philip Currie recently published their discovery of Mapusaurus roseae in Geodiversitas, A new carcharodontosaurid (Dinosauria,Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina. [pdf]
Now the question is, who was bigger - Mapusaurus, Giganotosaurus, or Spinosaurus?
The genus name, Mapusaurus, means “Earth Reptile”. It comes from the Mapuche word for earth, mapu. The Mapuches are an indigenous people of Patagonia.
The species name, roseae refers to the rose colored rocks that surround the site where the fossils were found, and to Rose Letwin who sponsored expeditions that lead to the discovery.
(photo by Rodolfo Coria)
There are many sites reporting on this discovery. Here are links to a few.
CTV.ca News: Dig finds largest known carnivorous dinosaur.
NewScientist Giant dino-predators may have hunted in packs
Express News, Uni of Alberta: Huge meat-eating dinosaur uncovered
Lastly, here’s some Mapusaurus inspired Art at DeviantArt
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
Order: Saurischia
Suborder: Theropoda
Infraorder: Carnosauria
Family: Carcharodontosauridae
Subfamily: Giganotosaurinae
Genus: Mapusaurus