Source by: Only Dinosaurs
Nothing’s more exciting than a match between one deadly predator with another – just like a Giganotosaurus versus T. rex match. If Jurassic World would recreate such a scene, we’ll definitely be taking front-row seats! So here’s a blog post that’s an equivalent of that.
In this Giganotosaurus VS T. rex article, you’ll get to know which dinosaur has the upper hand when it comes to bite force, strategy, speed, and strength. We’ll even share a handy infographic you can save! FAQs at the end of the post will be available too.
Sounds exciting, right? Let’s begin.
The Basics on Giganotosaurus & Tyrannosaurus rex
Source by: Only Dinosaurs
Knowing the basics about these two famous dinosaurs will help you appreciate their strengths better. Let’s check their distinguishing characteristics out below.
Giganotosaurus General Information
Source by: Simona Cerrato
The Giganotosaurus was the Late Cretaceous period’s giant southern lizard. Did you know there’s a model of the Giganotosaurus with a funny name? It’s called Lady Giga. You can find it at the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof railway station in Germany.
As funny as that was, its name — Giganotosaurus carolinii — describes the formidable predator that it was during the Mesozoic Era 99-97 million years ago. Its name was inspired by its incredible size, the fossil hunter who found it (Rubén Carolini), and the place where it was discovered. This big dinosaur was found in Patagonia, Southern Argentina, South America.
Tyrannosaurus rex General Information
Source by: Evolutionnumber9
The Gigantosaurus sounds impressive, doesn’t it? But dominating the rest of the world was the T. rex. The T. rex was the Mesozoic Era’s king of the dinosaurs before it got wiped out by the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. The T. rex lived during the Late Cretaceous period 68-66 million years ago.
The tyrant lizard king reigned over all the dinosaurs in the prehistoric landscape of Laramidia which is today’s North America. That’s why so many T. rex specimens have been discovered all over the continent, especially in the fossil-rich places of the United States. Good examples are Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota.
In fact, the largest complete skeleton was found in South Dakota’s Hell Creek Formation. This T. rex called “Sue” is determined to be 90% complete from its huge skull to its pointed tail.
Another amazingly complete T. rex skeleton was discovered in the area. It’s called Stan and is around 70% complete. It’s because of these awe-inspiring finds that paleontologists saw how the Tyrannosaurus was the carnivorous, ferocious, and powerful theropod dinosaur that we know today.
Giganotosaurus VS T. rex Battling It out in Three Categories
Source by: Only Dinosaurs
Now here’s where it gets exciting. Whose side of the ring will you be on?
In this section, we’ll be tackling three categories where we’ll see a Giganotosaurus VS T. rex match. These two Cretaceous period dinosaurs will be battling it out in these areas: bite power and feeding strategy, speed, and muscular power (and size). Let’s check these dino warriors out together!
#1. Giganotosaurus VS T. rex: Bite Power
Source by: Only Dinosaurs
Did you know that the T. rex can exert a bite force as strong as 57,000 newtons? That means if Tyrannosaurus bites Giganotosaurus, the latter could receive serious damage by the powerful jaws of the T.rex! It might not be able to immediately fight back when it receives the T. rex‘s first bite.
Tyrannosaurus rex Bite Power
Source by: Matthew Dillon
Scientist Paul Gignac says that that amount of strength gave the T. rex’s powerful bite its immense bone-crushing ability as it repeatedly bit prey. And here’s more.
The T. rex is also capable of opening its jaws up to 80 degrees! Scientist Stephan Lautenschlager observed that this ability also added extra jaw strength to the T. rex, making it the deadliest predator to walk North America. Incredible, right? Take a look at two more awesome features of the T. rex jaw:
- rex jaws were U-like in shape. This enabled the Tyrannosaurus to rip out more bone and tissue as it delivered its powerful chomp.
- The huge skulls of the rex species had air spaces in a honeycomb formation which made their skulls lighter. This lightness was advantageous because it added to the strength of the bite as no heavy weight held it back.
But it doesn’t stop there. Did you know the T. rex had sharp teeth that curved backward and were blade-like in shape? Yikes! A bite with a crushing 57,000 N plus curved serrated teeth? A Giganotosaurus surviving the bite and teeth of the tyrant king doesn’t seem likely! Even armored herbivores didn’t stand a chance against the T. rex.
Not only that, the front teeth of the tyrant lizard are placed in a D-like shape. This unique placing kept the dinosaur’s teeth from snapping when the Tyrannosaurus pulled and powerfully bit on prey. Such strong power has made it one of the world’s most famous dinosaurs ever.
Giganotosaurus Bite Power
Source by: Vincent Chapelain
But how about the Giganotosaurus? The dinosaur from South America, unfortunately, has a weaker bite compared to the Tyrannosaurus according to scientist Francois Therrien. He and his team estimated the bite force of the Giganotosaurus and the T. rex in their 2005 study.
The results showed that relative to the Alligator mississipiensis, the Giganotosaurus was only 5.363x as powerful while T. rex was 12.432x as powerful. That means that if Giganotosaurus bites Tyrannosaurus, its impact would only be half as effective compared to its opponent. Unless the Giganotosaurus bites the jugular vein, rex could go down with a critical hit due to blood loss. So this round goes to the Tyrannosaurus.
But don’t be too sad if you were rooting for the Giganotosaurus. These results don’t mean its teeth and jaws weren’t powerful because they were powerful enough to make the Giganotosaurus the apex predator of the south. They just weren’t enough to outpower the T. rex.
The Giganotosaurus’s jaws and teeth were adapted to slice its prey and used that as its feeding strategy. Young sauropods and other mammals couldn’t escape their demise as the front part of the Giganotosaurus’ jaws kept them in place.
Giganotosaurus & T. rex Bite Power Summary
Source by: Brett Meliti
Finally, what are other similarities and differences between the two when it comes to bite power and feeding strategy?
- The Giganotosaurus had a bite that decreased in strength from the teeth of its front jaws to the back. But it was able to quickly close the jaws to give them a strong bite.
- On the other hand, the rex had jaw muscles that increased in mass that also increased its bite power.
- These two dinosaurs were carnivorous apex predators capable of hunting even large herbivore dinosaurs.
- Each one is a giant predator in their respective environment. Each also would have been the deadliest predator in their own space, overpowering other dinosaurs who threatened their existence.
- Both were part of North America’s largest predators. They also both had a huge skull that housed serrated teeth.
- The rex is known to have actively hunted prey. It’s also believed to be a proven cannibal and occasional scavenger.
- The rex had a stronger bite compared to the Giganotosaurus. Its teeth were capable of breaking bones.
#2 Giganotosaurus VS T. rex: Muscular Power & Size
Source by: Only Dinosaurs
These two dinosaurs are now in a very close fight. And that’s despite the Tyrannosaurus being known to have few disadvantages. So let’s see who will break the tie in terms of size and muscle power.
Have you noticed that both dinosaurs have small forelimbs compared to the size of their bodies? The T. rex stands out with its tiny arms because of the cortical bones which are very thick in size.
Source by: Zissoudisctrucker
The muscles on these powerful arms can do very heavy lifting. The Tyrannosaurus can lift 439 lbs using arms that are just over 3 feet long!
Scientists are still discussing whether the T. rex used its arms sharp claws to slash prey or keep mates in place. Some also believe that they became small as the dinosaur adapted to its growing skull and jaws. Not much is known about the Giganotosaurus’ arms though due to the lack of more complete fossil specimens. We won’t be able to say then if it has weaker arms.
Source by: KoprX
The Giganotosaurus gets back at the Tyrannosaurus when it comes to weight. How? The average Tyrannosaurus weighed only around 5,000-15,800 lbs. While the average Giganotosaurus was as heavy as 8,400-27,600 lbs. An opponent with a large body like this one won’t be easy for the Tyrannosaurus to conquer.
Imagine realistic dinosaur puppets of the Giganotosaurus and Tyrannosaurus in battle. That’s a pretty cool idea to recreate the scene yourself!
Now let’s take a look at body length and their thick skulls. The Giganotosaurus stood at the farther end of the scale with a long body reaching 39-43 feet and a skull measuring around 5-5.9 feet.
The T. rex is slightly shorter with the most complete specimen just a little over 40 1/2 feet and skull measuring just five feet for the largest specimen known. Despite this, they’re nearly the same size for scientists who also consider other fossils of the species.
Source by: Przemek P
Last in this section is leg power. Did you know the Tyrannosaurus’ two legs also enabled it to quickly pivot away from enemies?
A study in 2019 by Eric Snively discovered this insight. They found out that during a pursuit, the Tyrannosaurus can “pirouette” on one foot while the other leg was swung out and suspended in the air despite its heavy body. The Giganotosaurus’ legs, on the other hand, helped it walk faster while its tail balanced it weight.
So who do you think won this round? The Giganotosaurus advantages here are total body length, faster legs, and weight. The Tyrannosaurus advantages are its strong arms plus its agile muscular legs and body. The Tyrannosaurus’ more agile and stronger body positions it to be deadly, making it the winner of this round.
#3. Giganotosaurus VS T. rex: Speed
Source by: Only Dinosaurs
Sometimes, the victory goes not to the powerful, but to the swift. Who’s the speedier dinosaur that can land attacks and take the other down fast? Let’s find out who’s the deadliest predator of them all.
A study in 2021 found out that a T. rex preferred to walk at a speed of 2.9 miles per hour. That’s just like pedestrians walking around Manhattan on a regular day. Additionally, this study by scientist Pasha van Biljert says that the dinosaur’s pointed tail also plays an important part when it walks.
How? The tail stores energy when it’s stretched as it sways during walking. This unique body function helps the T. rex walk at a speed and rhythm that’s energy-efficient for it. The T. rex won’t tire out easily and will be able to conserve its energy for other activities like hunting.
Source by: YouTube
It seems pretty slow, right? Other studies also estimate a running speed of up to 20 mph but these estimates are yet to be fully accepted within the scientific community.
The Tyrannosaurus more than makes up for it because it’s fairly agile. Plus, it has the ability to endure long stretches of walking as it stalks a target animal. Once it’s near, the T. rex gets a burst of energy and goes straight for the prey by snatching it with its teeth.
But this round goes to the Giganotosaurus. Why? Because this dinosaur from South America can walk as fast as 31 mph which makes it faster than the Tyrannosaurus.
So if these two dinosaurs fought in a match, the Giganotosaurus has speed as an advantage. It could also land critical hits with its teeth on the T. rex while possibly being able to quickly walk away from a T. rex ambush.
Giganotosaurus VS T. rex Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Source by: Maarten Heerlien
Who’s your best bet overall? Here’s a quick FAQ section to help you decide. Or if you already have a winner, this will help you affirm your decision.
How much bigger was Giganotosaurus than T. rex? And why is Giganotosaurus bigger than T. rex?
The Giganotosaurus was 2.5 feet bigger than the T. rex. The Giganotosaurus may have been bigger than the Tyrannosaurus because of longer bones like its femur which measures two inches longer the the most complete Tyrannosaurus specimen (Sue).
Who would win in a fight, Giga or Rex?
The Rex would win in a fight against a Giganotosaurus because of its more crushing bite and more agile body together with its strong arms.
What a match, right? The Giganotosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex are both incredible species. Either one would make an awesome dinosaur costume, don’t you think?
Now you’re probably raring to see dinosaurs fight it out in real life. Here’s a fun video showing powerful animatronic dinosaurs in a match. Check it out before you go! See you at our next blog post!
