Move over, T. rex!Tyrannosaurus Tyrannosaurus (tīrăn'ōsôr`əs, tĭr–) [Gr.,=tyrant lizard], member of a family, Tyrannosauridae, of bipedal carnivorous saurischian dinosaurs characterized by having strong hind limbs, a muscular tail, and short rex, get ready to turn your "king of the dinosaurs" crown over to Giganotosaurus carolinii! Fossil bones belonging to this newly discovered dinosaur reveal that it may have been even bigger than the largest-known T rex. The new dino-king gets its name from Ruben Carolini, a car mechanic and amateur "rock hound rock hound n. Informal 1. One who specializes in geology. 2. One who collects rocks and minerals, especially gemstones, as a hobby. rock " who discovered the first Giganotosaurus bone in Argentina's Patagonia badlands badlands, area of severe erosion, usually found in semiarid climates and characterized by countless gullies, steep ridges, and sparse vegetation. Badland topography is formed on poorly cemented sediments that have few deep-rooted plants because short, heavy showers . Paleontologists (fossil scientists) from a museum near the discovery site have spent the past two years unearthing 70 percent of the dinosaur's skeleton, including a shin bone and several vertebrae Vertebrae Bones in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions of the body that make up the vertebral column. Vertebrae have a central foramen (hole), and their superposition makes up the vertebral canal that encloses the spinal cord. . By measuring the bones, scientists can estimate the new dinosaur's size and weight. Rodolfo Coria Dr. Rodolfo Coria is an Argentine paleontologist and current director of the Museo Carmen Funes in Plaza Huincul, Neuquén Province, Argentina. He is best known for having directed the field study and co-naming of the Argentinosaurus , a paleontologist at the Carmen Carmen throws over lover for another. [Fr. Lit.: Carmen; Fr. Opera: Bizet, Carmen, Westerman, 189–190] See : Faithlessness Carmen the cards repeatedly spell her death. [Fr. Funes Museum in Argentina, says Giganotosaurus was slightly longer and weighed about three tons more than T rex. The scientists also dug up "bladelike teeth with serrations [notches] on them," says Paul Sereno Paul Callistus Sereno (born October 11, 1957) is an American paleontologist who is the discoverer of several new dinosaur species on several continents. He has conducted excavations at sites as varied as Inner Mongolia, Argentina, Morocco and Niger. , a paleontologist at the University of Chicago who has examined the bones. "Those serrations are a classic flesh-eating adaptation," Sereno says. Make that big adaptations; Giganotosaurus's teeth measure up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) long. Some of the teeth were still attached to Giganotosaurus's skull, which measures 1.5 meters (5 feet) and resembles T. rex's. But even though the two dinosaurs looked a lot alike--both had short arms and walked on two legs--scientists say they aren't closely related. T rex lived in North America and Giganotosaurus lived in South America -- which were not connected millions of years ago. Studies of the rock beds above and below the site where Giganotosaurus was discovered also reveal that the giant lived about 90 million year 25 million years before T rex. RELATED ARTICLE: FAB FACT Some paleontologists specialize in studying coprolites--fossilized dinosaur dung! The rare coprolites hold clues to a dino's diet and digestion. FAB FACT Some plant-eating dinosaurs were much bigger than the meat eaters. Vegetarian dino Argentinosaurus weighed up to 90 tons more than Giganotosaurus. FAB FACT Since we learn about dinosaurs only from fossils, nobody knows what color their skin was. Some scientists think dinos were brightly colored. |
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