Carcharodontosaurus vs Giganotosaurus: Which Was Bigger?

Almost a tie. Giganotosaurus is estimated at about 12.5 to 13.2 m (41 to 43 ft) and 6 to 8 tonnes (Coria & Salgado 1995; Calvo & Coria 1998); Carcharodontosaurus at about 12 to 12.5 m (39 to 41 ft) and 5 to 7 tonnes, with a skull of about 1.42 to 1.6 m (Sereno et al. 1996). Giganotosaurus comes out slightly ahead in most estimates, but the difference is within the uncertainty.

They were close relatives, lived at the same time, and are both known from incomplete skeletons.

Carcharodontosaurus vs Giganotosaurus at a glance

• Length: Giganotosaurus 12.5 to 13.2 m; Carcharodontosaurus 12 to 12.5 m.
• Weight: Giganotosaurus 6 to 8 t (6.6 to 8.8 short tons); Carcharodontosaurus 5 to 7 t (5.5 to 7.7 short tons).
• Skull (reconstructed): Giganotosaurus about 1.53 to 1.60 m (5.0 to 5.2 ft); Carcharodontosaurus about 1.42 to 1.6 m (4.7 to 5.2 ft).
• When: both in the Cenomanian, about 100 to 94 million years ago.
• Where: Giganotosaurus in Patagonia, Argentina; Carcharodontosaurus in North Africa, in Morocco and Egypt.

Which was longer?

Giganotosaurus, slightly. Its holotype from the Candeleros Formation was estimated at about 12.5 m by Coria and Salgado (1995), and about 13.2 m was proposed from a larger referred jaw (Calvo & Coria 1998). Carcharodontosaurus is usually given 12 to 12.5 m, figures from Paul (2016) and Henderson & Nicholls (2015) as summarised in secondary literature; the DinoDex profile marks them low confidence until the primary texts are checked.

Half a metre, on animals known from partial skeletons, is not a meaningful lead.

Which was heavier?

Again Giganotosaurus by a small margin: 6 to 8 tonnes in its description against 5 to 7 tonnes for Carcharodontosaurus. An outlier estimate of about 13.8 tonnes for Giganotosaurus came from a skull-length regression (Therrien & Henderson 2007), which depends on an incomplete, reconstructed skull, so we do not use it as a headline.

Which had the bigger skull?

Too close to call. Paul Sereno and colleagues (1996) reported the reconstructed skull of the Moroccan neotype at approximately 1.6 m; a later estimate put it at about 1.42 m. Giganotosaurus's reconstructed skull is about 1.53 to 1.60 m. Both skulls are incomplete, and both reconstructions have been revised downwards before.

How were they related?

Both are carcharodontosaurids, a family of large allosauroid predators named after Carcharodontosaurus, "shark-toothed lizard", for its serrated, blade-like teeth. Brusatte and Sereno (2007) revised the genus and named a second species from Niger. Their shared ancestry and similar size reflect a group that produced several giants in the mid-Cretaceous, in South America and Africa.

Did they live at the same time?

Yes, broadly: both are dated to the Cenomanian stage, about 100.5 to 93.9 million years ago (ICS 2023). But they lived on different continents, so they never met. Carcharodontosaurus shared the rivers of the Kem Kem Group with Spinosaurus (Ibrahim et al. 2020); see where did Spinosaurus live?

The first partial skeleton of Carcharodontosaurus was destroyed in Munich in 1944, like the original Spinosaurus; a skull found in Morocco in 1995 replaced it as the neotype.

How do they compare with T. rex and Spinosaurus?

• [T. rex](/dinosaurs/tyrannosaurus-rex): about 12.3 to 13 m and 6 to 9.5 t, from far more complete skeletons.
• Spinosaurus: just under 14 m and about 7.4 t in the latest model, but lighter for its length.

All four giants fall within a couple of metres and a few tonnes of each other. None of the rankings is secure, because the more fragmentary animals rely on reconstruction.

Why are there so many "biggest predator" claims?

Because the candidates are known from partial skeletons, and each new bone or new method can move an estimate by metres or tonnes. The title of Therrien and Henderson's 2007 paper, "My theropod is bigger than yours ... or not", sums up the problem. On DinoDex, each figure keeps its range, method and source, and the ranking is left open where the evidence does not settle it.

For how Giganotosaurus measures up against a very different predator, see Giganotosaurus vs T. rex.

Quick answers

• Which was bigger, Carcharodontosaurus or Giganotosaurus? Giganotosaurus by a small margin in most estimates, within the uncertainty.
• Did they live at the same time? Yes, both in the Cenomanian, but on different continents.
• Were they related? Yes, both are carcharodontosaurids.