Argentina: New species of giant carnivorous dinosaur discovered

The awesome and terrible Tyrannosaurus (the famous T.rex) was not the only giant carnivore dinosaur with tiny hands. Paleontologists have discovered a new species of dinosaur in Argentina, which had disproportionately small arms compared to the rest of its body.

The dinosaur, which was named Meraxes gigas and belonged to the group of so-called Carcharodontosaurids, lived in the present-day region of northern Patagonia, reached a length of 11 meters and weighed about four tons. The researchers, led by Juan Canale of the Ernesto Bachmann Paleontological Museum, made the relevant publication in the journal Current Biology.

Despite their similarity in terms of small arms, T.rex and Meraxes evolved independently and are far apart on the evolutionary tree, as there does not appear to be any direct relationship between them. Paleontologists estimate that the larger a dinosaur’s head was the smaller his hands tended to be, with no clear functional reason for this. Certainly, however, they were of no use to them in hunting their prey, as on this first account it is believed that they had their heads with their terrible teeth.

“I tend to believe that their hands were used for other kinds of activities. They were probably used for their reproductive behavior, such as holding the female during mating or to support themselves e.g. after one fall,” said Channel.

The fossil skull of Meraxes was found with a crest, grooves, bumps and cornices, which probably also had a “decorative” functionality, aimed at impressing and attracting a mate.

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