Land of the giants
The Tyrannosaurus rex hogs top billing in the world of the dinosaurs, but experts reckon that Giganotosaurus was probably more powerful.
He’ll need to do something about that daft name before toppling Rex from his throne, but at 40 feet long and weighing eight tons, he was not a dinosaur to be taken lightly.
Schleich has released a detailed model of this fearsome prehistoric beastie, including the spikes along its back and three-clawed arms.
Schleich points out that Giganotosaurus had a banana-sized brain (but doesn’t reveal whether it was also banana-shaped). The model is priced around £19.99.
Giganotosaurus (pronounced jy-ga-no-toe-sore-rus), the name means “giant southern lizard”, reflecting the fact that the fossils of this meat-eating Theropod have been found in Argentina is believed to be the largest carnivorous dinosaur known in the fossil record. Unlike most other meat-eaters, whose fossil remains are fragmentary, Giganotosaurus is known from two very well preserved specimens, one of which was almost 70% complete.
As for brain shape, studies of the skull material and fossils of better known Allosaurs does suggest that the brains were banana shaped, a consequence of having a very small cerebrum (the thinking part), but a greater proportion of the brain volume dedicated to the senses of sight and smell. As for brain size, estimates vary but for a 14.3 metre long dinosaur, the brain would have weighed approximately 500 – 700 grammes, about half the volume of an equivalent sized T. rex brain.
Thanks Mike – fascinating stuff!