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Published: 2021-06-21 16:01:43 +0000 UTC; Views: 18359; Favourites: 78; Downloads: 5
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Description
Mapusaurus roseaeMidway through the Cretaceous, the legendary carnosaurs would reach their apex in terms of size. Giant carnosaurs like Tyrannotitan, Acrocanthosaurus, and Giganotosaurus are icons of the Mid-Cretaceous. However, among the last and most famous was Mapusaurus roseae of Argentina.
History and Discovery:
In 1997, a Canadian-Argentinian expedition team was excavating in the Huincul Formation and discovered a partial skeleton consisting of a fragmentary skull and other fragmentary fossils. It was excavated from 1997-2001, but it wasn't named until 2006 by expedition leaders Dr.Phil Currie and Dr.Rodolfo Coria. The name they chose was Mapusaurus roseae. Rose's Earth Lizard. The genus name derived from the native Mapuche people with "Mapu" meaning earth and the Greek "saurus" meaning lizard. The species name "roseae" is derived from both the rose-colored rocks and Rose Letwin, the wife of one of the expedition's sponsors.
Description:
In terms of size, it ranks as one of the largest theropods that ever walked the planet. At up to 5.5 tons and 38-40ft long, it was also among the last great theropods that walked the planet, existing from 97-93,200,000 years ago in what is now Argentina. It was compared to its ancestor, Giganotosaurus which was described more than a decade prior. Both Mapusaurus, Giganotosaurus, and Tyrannotitan are in the tribe Giganotosaurini. The main difference between Giganotosaurus and Mapusaurus is that Mapusaurus had a taller and boxier skull. From what fragments of skull material have been recovered from Argentina, it had a more pronounced crest region on the lacrimal bone and down to the nares. Probably functioning as a display area for the sexes.
Habitat and Possible Pack Behavior:
Its habitat, the Huincul Formation was home to a variety of sauropod dinosaurs. Ranging from the iconic giant Argentinosaurus, one of the largest sauropods that ever walked the planet, to the smaller yet more derived diplodocid, Limaysaurus. The region would have been an arid, scrubby environment with streams running through the region. Horsetail prairies and Ginkgo trees would have been common flora in this environment. Mapusaurus would have been the apex predator in the region, hunting the juvenile sauropods in the Huincul Formation. Its teeth were thin and serrated like knives designed to shear through flesh. The jaws as is the case with many carnosaurs was not designed to bite through bone, but strip flesh from bone.
In 2011, Rodolfo Coria described a bonebed from the Huincul that featured 7 individual Mapusaurus. Ranging from fully grown adults to juvenile individuals. Coria and his colleagues theorized that this could be evidence of pack-hunting and/or group behavior. Perhaps they formed packs to bring down large sauropods like Argentinosaurus. However, others have suggested this may be just a random group or a mob of dinosaurs converging on a prey item, similar to how Komodo Dragons gang up on water buffalo or deer. Without any way to observe these animals in life, paleontologists will never know for sure.
Extinction:
Mapusaurus was among the last of the great Carnosaurs. While they had also reached their apex in the Middle Cretaceous, they also declined substantially. By 88,000,000 years, the last of the carnosaurs would die out. In their place, would arise the Tyrannosaurs in the Northern Hemisphere and Abelisaurs in the Southern Hemisphere. A balance of power that would continue for another 22,000,000 years.
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Been a while since I did a large theropod so here you go! Bit shorter since well, not as much as I can add.
Part of this color scheme is inspired by IllustratedMenagerie 's Mapusaurus (Well, the Male's head at least).
Mapusaurus Family by IllustratedMenagerie on DeviantArt
The main changes I made were in the skull. I took my Giganotosaurus, made the skull boxier and taller. Other than that, nothing else, these carnosaurs had a very standard body plan so not as much of a need to tweak its body (excluding the skin).
Is this for Past Meets Present? No, I've already clarified that Huincul's fauna would not fit in S1 or S2 of PMP.
Original model by DinosaurManZT2 :
Giganotosaurus (HENDRIX) | ZT2 Download Library Wiki | Fandom
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SilverDragon234 [2021-09-12 23:28:35 +0000 UTC]
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