Monday, May 11, 2009

Critter of the Day, 5/11/09: Mapusaurus


Mapusaurus roseae was a large carcharodontosaurid (carnosaurs which include Carcharodontosaurus and Giganotosaurus) which dates from the Late Cretaceous, about 80 million or so years before the present. This is one of several varieties of large, carnivorous dinosaur which have been found in bone beds; the presence of individuals of several growth stages in the same place both gives us a more complete image of this genus, as well as a hint that it may have hunted in packs. It's speculated that, like other carcharodontosaurs, it may have charged in at sauropods to take a bite or slash, retreated, and repeated the process until its prey died of shock or blood loss. It was described in 2006 by Rudolfo Coria and Phillip Currie.

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