Not a tyrannosaur, this dinosaur is much bigger and more dangerous
A team of Argentine paleontologists and two Japanese scientists while digging in Patagonia discovered the remains of the largest carnivorous dinosaur ever recorded.
One of the scientists involved said the new dinosaur has been named Maip Macrothorax, inspired by the name of the demon Maip in the mythology of the indigenous South American people of Tehuelche.
This carnivorous dinosaur lived 70 million years ago during the Cretaceous period in the southernmost region of present-day Argentina.
Fossils of Maip Macrothorax.
Paleontologists determined that Maip Macrothorax was 9-10 meters long and weighed about 5 tons. To support the relatively large weight, Maip Macrothorax’s spine is made up of giant vertebrae connected by a complex system of muscles, tendons and ligaments.
Unlike Tyrannosaurus Rex, which was also a large but heavy carnivore, Maip Macrothorax had a much lighter skeleton. Maip Macrothorax’s bones are not dense but have many holes inside, more like a hollow brick compared to a solid brick. This makes their skeleton lighter and more slender. In addition, this species has a long tail and legs, proving that they can run fast and keep good balance.
The most striking feature of the Maip Macrothorax is its long and large forelimbs, with claws up to 35-40cm long. Scientists deduce that Maip Macrothorax can grasp and tear prey into pieces. Claws are considered the main weapon of Maip Macrothorax, as their teeth are very sharp but small in size.
Specified appearance of the species Maip Macrothorax.
Argentina is known as the “dinosaur graveyard”. Many fossils dating from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods found in this South American country have never been found in the Northern Hemisphere.
In 2019, the country’s scientists discovered a dinosaur graveyard with at least 10 fossil skeletons dating back about 220 million years in the western province of San Juan.
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