# Giganotosaurus carolinii

> A giant carcharodontosaurid theropod from the Cenomanian of Patagonia, Argentina, and one of the largest land predators known, rivalling Tyrannosaurus rex in length.

- Classification: Dinosauria (clade) > Saurischia (clade) > Theropoda (clade) > Tetanurae (clade) > Allosauroidea (superfamily) > Carcharodontosauridae (family) > Giganotosaurus (genus) > Giganotosaurus carolinii (species)
- Length: 12.5–13.2 m
- Hip height: 3–3.6 m
- Mass: 6–8 t
- Age: 100.5–93.9 million years ago (Late Cretaceous)
- Fossils found in: Candeleros Formation (Neuquén Province); Argentina
- Diet: carnivore
- Described: Rodolfo Coria & Leonardo Salgado, 1995
- In films: Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

Canonical page: https://dinodex.club/dinosaurs/giganotosaurus-carolinii
Last updated: 2026-09-27

## Overview

Giganotosaurus carolinii lived in what is now Neuquén Province, Argentina, during the Cenomanian, early in the Late Cretaceous. Amateur fossil hunter Rubén Carolini found the holotype (MUCPv-Ch 1) in the Candeleros Formation in 1993, and Rodolfo Coria and Leonardo Salgado named it in 1995.

It belonged to the Carcharodontosauridae, a group of large allosauroids, and was only distantly related to Tyrannosaurus. Its skull was long and narrow with blade-like teeth.

Coria and Salgado (1995) estimated the holotype at about 12.5 m and 6 to 8 tonnes. A larger referred lower jaw (MUCPv-95) suggests some individuals were bigger, and mass estimates vary widely between methods.

## Name meaning

From Greek gigas ("giant"), notos ("south") and sauros ("lizard"): "giant southern lizard"; carolinii honours its discoverer, Rubén Carolini (Coria & Salgado 1995).

## Sources

1. Calvo, J. O. & Coria, R. A. (1998). New specimen of Giganotosaurus carolinii (Coria & Salgado, 1995), supports it as the largest theropod ever found. Gaia 15: 117-122.
2. Cohen, K. M., Harper, D. A. T., Gibbard, P. L. & Car, N. (2023). International Chronostratigraphic Chart (v2023/09). International Commission on Stratigraphy. https://stratigraphy.org/ICSchart/ChronostratChart2023-09.pdf
3. Coria, R. A. & Salgado, L. (1995). A new giant carnivorous dinosaur from the Cretaceous of Patagonia. Nature 377: 224-226. https://doi.org/10.1038/377224a0
4. Paul, G. S. (2016). The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs (2nd edition). Princeton University Press.
5. Therrien, F. & Henderson, D. M. (2007). My theropod is bigger than yours ... or not: estimating body size from skull length in theropods. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27(1): 108-115. https://doi.org/10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[108:MTIBTY]2.0.CO;2

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Cite as: "Giganotosaurus carolinii". DinoDex. https://dinodex.club/dinosaurs/giganotosaurus-carolinii (updated 2026-09-27).