Mapusaurus
MAH-poo-SORE-us
"earth lizard"
- Lived
- 110 to 106 million years ago, Early Cretaceous
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Length
- about 13 m (41 ft)
- Group
- Theropods, Carcharodontosauridae
- Found in
- Argentina
- Named by
- Coria and Currie 2006
Size comparison
To scale
Scale in meters
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
110 million years ago
Habitat
It probably lived along river channels, dry sandbars and open woodland in the Huincul Formation landscape. Argentinosaurus and Meraxes were other dinosaurs of this region.
A Dinosaur Vault film
What If Argentinosaurus Walked Down Your Street?
One of the largest animals ever to walk on land, on a street like yours. Then back to the river plains of Patagonia, where hunters like Mapusaurus and Gualicho lived beside it.
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About Mapusaurus
What it was like
Mapusaurus was a massive, sharp-toothed predator built for hunting large prey, with a long skull, blade-like teeth, and small arms relative to its body size. A published reconstruction puts its length at about 12.6 meters (41 feet). This is an estimate from incomplete remains, rather than the measured length of a complete skeleton.
Unlike most giant predators, which are known from single skeletons, Mapusaurus comes from a bonebed holding the remains of several individuals of different ages. This has led researchers to suggest that these animals may have gathered in groups at times, perhaps while hunting or scavenging together.
Its world
Mapusaurus lived in what is now Argentina. Its fossils come from the Huincul Formation. Recent radiometric dating supports an Early Cretaceous age for these rocks, revising the Late Cretaceous age used in older studies.
Argentinosaurus, Meraxes, Taurovenator, Skorpiovenator and Limaysaurus are also known from this formation. Meraxes comes from lower levels than Mapusaurus, so the two predators need not have lived together.
How it was found
Coria and Currie named Mapusaurus in 2006. Only one major fossil find has been reported so far, the bonebed that produced most of what is known about the animal. Mapusaurus is closely related to Giganotosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus, all members of the Carcharodontosauridae, a family of large-bodied, blade-toothed hunters.
Field gallery
More views of Mapusaurus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 7
Lived alongside
Found in the same rock formations
A rock formation can hold fossils laid down millions of years apart, so not every animal here met Mapusaurus.
The evidence
The science behind Mapusaurus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- A bonebed contains the scattered remains of several individuals at different growth stages.
- Skull bones and blade-like teeth show a long-headed predator with teeth suited to slicing flesh.
- Some bones preserve healed injuries and signs of infection.
Borrowed from relatives
- Bones from several individuals reveal much of its skeleton; missing details are filled in using relatives such as Giganotosaurus and Meraxes.
- Lips covering the teeth follow comparisons with other large theropods.
Still unknown
- Whether it hunted in coordinated groups.
- Its color and the detailed texture of its skin.
- Whether adults cared for their young.
Often drawn wrong
- A short, broad skull like that of Tyrannosaurus misses its more elongated head.
- Its palms faced inward rather than down toward the ground.
Discovery timeline
- 2006Named itCoria & Currie
- 2013Fossil sitesBell & Coria
- 2022Close relativeCanale et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Mapusaurus
Named it
Named Mapusaurus from a bonebed containing several differently sized individuals and described its relationship to Giganotosaurus.
A new carcharodontosaurid (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina. Geodiversitas 28: 71-118
No link available
Fossil sites
Examined bones from the bonebed and found healed injuries, infections and unusual bone growth.
Palaeopathological Survey of a Population of Mapusaurus (Theropoda: Carcharodontosauridae) from the Late Cretaceous Huincul Formation, Argentina. PLoS ONE 8: e63409
Read the paper : Palaeopathological Survey of a Population of Mapusaurus (Theropoda: Carcharodontosauridae) from the Late Cretaceous Huincul Formation, Argentina (opens in a new tab)Close relative
Described Meraxes from the same formation, revealing a close relative with a large skull and short arms.
New giant carnivorous dinosaur reveals convergent evolutionary trends in theropod arm reduction. Current Biology 32: 3195-3202.e5
Read the paper : New giant carnivorous dinosaur reveals convergent evolutionary trends in theropod arm reduction (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Carcharodontosauridae
Sources: Wikidata