Mapusaurus roseae

Mapusaurus roseae was a massive carcharodontosaurid theropod that rivaled Tyrannosaurus rex in length, potentially reaching over 10 meters long. It was closely related to Giganotosaurus and possessed a huge skull filled with blade-like, serrated teeth. It used these weapons to hunt massive sauropod dinosaurs.

The fossils of Mapusaurus roseae were uncovered in the Late Cretaceous Huincul Formation located in Argentina. This region of Patagonia is famous for producing fossils of some of the largest dinosaurs to have ever lived. The formation dates back roughly 90 million years.

Because a bonebed containing multiple Mapusaurus individuals of different ages was discovered in Argentina, some paleontologists believe they may have hunted in packs. This coordinated behavior would have been necessary to take down the enormous Argentinosaurus that shared their habitat. It indicates complex social behavior.

Mapusaurus roseae was officially named and formally described by paleontologists Rodolfo Coria and Philip Currie in 2006. The discovery was based on a rich fossil site in Patagonia that shed new light on giant South American theropods. The name "Mapu" means "of the Earth" in the local Mapudungun language.