Cretaceous carnage #15
Carnosaur
MemberCompsognathusFebruary 07, 20151808 Views14 Replies- use of wikipedia is to leave room for debate on size or whathaveyou. i know it isn't always accurate.
so, today's match-up is...
Carcharodontosaurus saharicus v Tyrannosaurus rex
C. saharicus
Carcharodontosaurus includes some of the longest and heaviest known carnivorous dinosaurs, with various scientists proposing length estimates for the species C. saharicusranging between 12 and 13 m (39 and 43 ft) and weight estimates between 6 and 15 metric tons.
Carcharodontosaurus were carnivores, with enormous jaws and long, serrated teeth up to eight inches long. Paleontologists once thought that Carcharodontosaurus had the longest skulls of any of the theropod dinosaurs. However, the premaxilla and quadrate bones were missing from the original African skull, which led to misinterpretation of its actual size by researchers. A more modest length of 1.6 meters (5.2 ft) has now been proposed for C. saharicus, and the skull of C. iguidensis is reported to have been about the same size.Currently, the largest known theropod skull belongs to another huge carcharodontosaurid dinosaur, the closely relatedGiganotosaurus (with skull length estimates up to 1.95 m) (6.3 ft).Gregory S. Paul estimates Carcharodontosaurus iguidensis at 10 m (33 ft) and 4 t (4.4 short tons).
T. rex
Like other tyrannosaurids, Tyrannosaurus was a bipedal carnivore with a massive skull balanced by a long, heavy tail. Relative to its large and powerful hind limbs, Tyrannosaurus fore limbs were short but unusually powerful for their size and had two clawed digits. Although other theropods rivaled or exceeded Tyrannosaurus rex in size, it was the largest known tyrannosaurid and one of the largest known land predators. In fact, the most complete specimen measures up to 12.3 m (40 ft) in length,[3] up to 4 metres (13 ft) tall at the hips, and up to 6.8 metric tons (7.5 short tons) in weight.[5] By far the largest carnivore in its environment, Tyrannosaurus rex may have been an apex predator, preying upon hadrosaurs, ceratopsians, and possibly sauropods, although some experts have suggested the dinosaur was primarily a scavenger. The debate about whether Tyrannosaurus was an apex predator or scavenger was among the longest ongoing feud in paleontology; however, most scientists now agree that Tyrannosaurus rex was an opportunistic carnivore, acting as both a predator and a scavenger. It is estimated to be capable of exerting one of the largest bite forces among all terrestrial animals.
let the show begin..
Nature doesn't deceive us; it is we who deceive ourselves.
