Fun Giganotosaurus Facts For Kids
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Giganotosaurus has been classified as a meat-eating theropod dinosaur, dating back to the late cretaceous period. The term Giganotosaurus roughly translates into a giant southern lizard.
Like all other dinosaurs, Giganotosaurus, too, reproduced by laying eggs. After the hatching of the fertilized eggs, new juveniles were born. The specimens of these dinosaurs are fragmentary.
They include the skull and backbones among a few others. The discovery of the partial remains of the skull indicates that they had a narrow head. The body length of this dinosaur is estimated to be around 40-43 ft (12-13 m) and they weighed around 14 t (14000 g).
However, despite their huge length, Giganotosaurus had a small-sized brain. Their prey mainly included other small-sized dinosaurs.
Giganotosaurus Interesting Facts
How do you pronounce 'Giganotosaurus'?
Giganotosaurus pronunciation can be tricky for a few people. You can simply break the word into Gee-gah-no-toe-sore-us. The term Giganotosaurus roughly translates into a giant southern lizard.
What type of dinosaur was a Giganotosaurus?
Giganotosaurus has been classified as a theropod dinosaur, whose holotype specimens were discovered from the regions of Southern Argentina.
In which geological period did the Giganotosaurus roam the earth?
This particular species of carnivorous dinosaurs dates back to the late cretaceous period which was almost 97 million years ago, from the present-day world. Some claim that Giganotosaurus lived almost 30 million years ago before Tyrannosaurus rex.
When did the Giganotosaurus become extinct?
Not much is known about when this particular species of dinosaurs went extinct. In general, almost all species of dinosaurs went extinct as many as 65 million years ago.
Where did a Giganotosaurus live?
Giganotosaurus (Giant southern lizard) inhabited the regions of present-day Argentina. Its holotype specimens were discovered in Patagonia in the year 1993.
What was a Giganotosaurus' habitat?
Giganotosaurus lived in the Candeleros formation of South America. 1993 marked the year when the holotype specimen of this meat-eating dinosaur was discovered by Ruben D. Carolini.
Who did a Giganotosaurus live with?
This group of meat-eating theropods is considered to be among the largest carnivores to have lived. They were even larger than T-rex.
Giganotosaurus was the apex predator in its environment and coexisted with other sauropods like Andesaurus, Limaysaurus, as well as other theropods. Some researchers claim that they might have hunted in packs. Together, they could take down many larger-sized sauropods.
How long did a Giganotosaurus live?
The exact lifespan of this species of dinosaur is not yet known. Tyrannosaurus rex had an average lifespan of 30 years, so maybe it can be compared to this.
How did they reproduce?
Like most other species of dinosaurs, Giganotosaurus too reproduced by laying eggs. After the hatching of the fertilized eggs, new juveniles were born. Giganotosaurus might have been very large, however, they were not the largest. To date, Spinosaurus is considered to be the largest theropod dinosaur.
Giganotosaurus Fun Facts
What did a Giganotosaurus look like?
The body size of a Giganotosaurus is estimated to be around 40-43 ft (12-13 m) long and weighed around 14t (14000 kg). This makes them even larger than Tyrannosaurus rex. They had large strong legs, which aided them in their movement, especially during hunting.
Compared to that of Tyrannosaurus rex, their teeth were much shorter in size. Some claim their teeth were 8 in (20 cm) long.
The teeth were serrated and aided them in the process of slicing the meat of their prey. Despite their superior qualities, archaeological research evidence suggests that the size of the brain of this dinosaur was rather small. The discovery of the skull indicates that they had a narrow head.
How many bones did a Giganotosaurus have?
The specimens that have been discovered of the Giganotosaurus skeleton are fragmentary. Since the skeleton is not complete, the exact number of bones of this species of dinosaur from the late cretaceous period is not yet known.
The uncovered fossil consists of the Giganotosaurus skull, leg bones, and backbones, among a few others. The first holotype of Giganotosaurus was uncovered by a fossil hunter named, Ruben D. Carolini from Argentina in the year 1993.
How did they communicate?
The exact communication process attained by this genus of dinosaurs is not yet known. In general, dinosaurs have been known to send signals to each other through various use of body movements as well as sound.
How big was a Giganotosaurus?
The giganotosaurus size is estimated to be 40-43 (12-13 m) ft long. This makes them even larger than Tyrannosaurus rex, whose size is estimated to be around 40 ft (12 m).
The Giganotosaurus height is estimated to be around 12 ft (3 m). However, despite being so huge, the size of the skull of this dinosaur is rather small. It also had a narrow head.
How fast could a Giganotosaurus move?
Studies claim that Giganotosaurus could attain a much faster speed than that of Tyrannosaurus, especially while hunting down on their prey. The estimated speed of a Giganotosaurus is 20 mph (32 kph).
How much did a Giganotosaurus weigh?
Archaeological research evidence estimates the weight of Giganotosaurus would have been around 14 t(14000 kg). They are among the largest animals to have lived in the regions of South America. Spinosaurus are by far the largest among carnivore dinosaurs.
What were the male and female names of the species?
Like all other dinosaurs, Giganotosaurus too does not have any sex-specific names. A male giganotosaurus is simply referred to as a male dinosaur and a female giganotosaurus is referred to as a female dinosaur.
What would you call a baby Giganotosaurus?
A baby dinosaur is usually called a hatchling or a juvenile.
What did they eat?
Researchers claim that Giganotosaurus largely fed on other herbivores. Their serrated long teeth helped them in slicing off the meat of other animals that lived alongside them. An interesting fact about Giganotosaurus is that the bite force of this particular theropod was much weaker than that of the T-Rex.
How aggressive were they?
Giganotosaurus was the apex predator of their environment. Although the Giganotosaurus bite force is much weaker than that of the T-Rex, this did not stop them from inflicting pain on the other dinosaurs.
Instead of biting the animal, it used to slice off the flesh of the animal, with the help of their strong saw-like teeth. A few researchers also claim that they hunted in packs.
Did you know...
People often wonder about the differences between Giganotosaurus vs Tyrannosaurus. Giganotosaurus had a much larger body length than that of T-Rex. Furthermore, Giganotosaurus lived in the regions of South America, unlike T-Rex, who inhabited the lands of North America.
The Giganotosaurus mass is estimated to be around 14 t (14000 g). However, the size of the brain of this dinosaur was rather small in size.
Giganotosaurus hunted in packs and would use their strong teeth to inflict pain on their prey. They had long and strong legs, which further aided them in their hunting process.
The complete skeleton of Giganotosaurus is yet to be found. The first holotype was discovered by an amateur fossil hunter, named Ruben D Carolini in the year 1993. The specimens that have been uncovered include partial remains of the skull, thigh bones, and backbones, among a few others.
The term Giganotosaurus roughly translates into the Giant Southern lizard.
Spinosaurus is by far the largest among carnivore dinosaurs.
What habitat did the Giganotosaurus live in?
The first specimen of this dinosaur was discovered from Southern Argentina in the year 1993, by an amateur fossil hunter, named Ruben D Carolini. Subsequently in the year 1995, they were named Giganotosaurus by Rodolfo Coria and Leonardo Salgado. The specimen of this meat-eating dinosaur was found in the Candeleros Formation, which is located in Patagonia.
Is the Giganotosaurus related to the T-Rex?
Researchers claim that T-Rex inhabited the land of North America, Giganotosaurus, on the other hand, was discovered from South America. Before the finding of this genus, T-Rex was considered to be the largest carnivorous dinosaur.
Further more, Giganotosaurus has been classified as a Carcharodontosauridae. Another interesting fact is that Giganotosaurus lived as many as 30 million years ago before T-Rex.
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication, Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management
Moumita DuttaBachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication, Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management
A content writer and editor with a passion for sports, Moumita has honed her skills in producing compelling match reports and stories about sporting heroes. She holds a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Calcutta University, alongside a postgraduate diploma in Sports Management.
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Sonali RawatBachelor of Arts specializing in English Literature, Masters of Art specializing in English and Communication Skills
Sonali has a Bachelor's degree in English literature from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and is currently pursuing a Master's in English and Communication from Christ University. With considerable experience in writing about lifestyle topics, including travel and health, she has a passion for Japanese culture, especially fashion, and anime, and has written on the subject before. Sonali has event managed a creative-writing festival and coordinated a student magazine at her university. Her favorite authors are Toni Morrison and Anita Desai.
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