The fossilized remains of what may be the largest meat-eating dinosaur has been discovered in Argentina – a bus-sized monster that attacked its prey in roving packs, scientists announced on Monday.
The remains of at least seven of the beasts, named Mapusaurus roseae, were found clustered in 100-million-year-old rocks south of the city of Plaza Huincul in western Patagonia.
Based on a shin bone that was about 3 feet long, researchers estimate that the largest adult in the group stretched about 41 feet and weighed about 15,000 pounds.
“When I was growing up, Tyrannosaurus rex was the big, nasty meat-eater on [the] block, but here we’ve got other things vying for the king of nasty,” said Tom Demere, curator of paleontology at the San Diego Natural History Museum, who was not involved in the discovery. “This thing here kind of fits that bill.”
The new dinosaur ran on its hind legs like Tyrannosaurus rex, but had teeth that suggested a different way of killing its prey.
The thin, blade-like teeth of Mapusaurus probably sliced the flesh of other dinosaurs, in contrast to Tyrannosaurus rex’s stronger, spike-shaped teeth that crunched through its prey.
Full Story: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-dino18apr18,0,498988.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Loading ...
