Mapusaurus

File:Reconstrucción elenco del Cráneo del Mapusaurus roseae.jpg

Mapusaurus was excavated between 1997 and 2001, by the Argentinian-Canadian Dinosaur Project, from an exposure of the Huincul Formation (late Cenomanian–Turonian{{cite journal |last1=Canale |first1=Juan I. |last2=Apesteguía |first2=Sebastián |last3=Gallina |first3=Pablo A. |last4=Mitchell |first4=Jonathan |last5=Smith |first5=Nathan D. |last6=Cullen |first6=Thomas M. |last7=Shinya |first7=Akiko |last8=Haluza |first8=Alejandro |last9=Gianechini |first9=Federico A. |last10=Makovicky |first10=Peter J. |title=New giant carnivorous dinosaur reveals convergent evolutionary trends in theropod arm reduction |journal=Current Biology |date=July 2022 |volume=32 |issue=14 |pages=3195–3202.e5 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.057 |pmid=35803271 |s2cid=250343124 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2022CBio...32E3195C }}) at Cañadón del Gato. It was described and named by paleontologists Rodolfo Coria and Phil Currie in 2006.{{Cite web |last=Wilford |first=John Noble |author-link=John Noble Wilford |date=April 18, 2006 |title=A Meat Eater Bigger Than T. Rex Is Unearthed |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/18/science/a-meat-eater-bigger-than-t-rex-is-unearthed.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180223074116/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/18/science/a-meat-eater-bigger-than-t-rex-is-unearthed.html |archive-date=February 23, 2018 |access-date=December 12, 2024 |website=The New York Times}}{{Cite web |last=Viegas |first=Jennifer |date=April 19, 2006 |title=Giant flesh-ripping dinos hunted in packs |url=http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2006/04/19/1618886.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619042824/http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2006/04/19/1618886.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 19, 2018 |access-date=December 12, 2024 |website=ABC Science}}{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Meryl K. |date=April 19, 2006 |title=Mapusaurus Crowned Largest Meat Eater |url=https://www.technewsworld.com/story/mapusaurus-crowned-largest-meat-eater-50042.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025222512/https://www.technewsworld.com/story/mapusaurus-crowned-largest-meat-eater-50042.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 25, 2021 |access-date=December 12, 2024 |website=Tech News World}}{{Cite web |last=Lallanilla |first=Marc |date=April 17, 2006 |title=Huge Meat-Eating Dinosaur Discovered |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=1851725 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060419192013/https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=1851725 |archive-date=April 19, 2006 |access-date=December 12, 2024 |website=ABC News}}

The name Mapusaurus is derived from the Mapuche word Mapu, meaning 'of the Land' or 'of the Earth' and the Greek sauros, meaning 'lizard'. The type species, Mapusaurus roseae, is named for both the rose-colored rocks, in which the fossils were found and for Rose Letwin, who sponsored the expeditions which recovered these fossils.

The designated holotype for the genus and type species, Mapusaurus roseae, is an isolated right nasal (MCF-PVPH-108.1, Museo Carmen Funes, Paleontología de Vertebrados, Plaza Huincul, Neuquén). Twelve paratypes have been designated, based on additional isolated skeletal elements. Taken together, the many individual elements recovered from the Mapusaurus bone bed represent most of the skeleton.

File:Mapusaurus Scale.svg

Mapusaurus was a large theropod, but slightly smaller in size than its close relative Giganotosaurus, with the largest specimen measuring around {{convert|10.2|-|12.2|m}} long and weighing up to {{convert|3|-|6|MT|ST}}.{{Cite journal |last1=Coria |first1=R. A. |last2=Currie |first2=P. J. |year=2006 |title=A new carcharodontosaurid (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina |url=https://dinonews.net/rubriq/docs/2006_coria_mapusaurus.pdf |journal=Geodiversitas |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=71–118 |citeseerx=10.1.1.624.2450 |issn=1280-9659 }}{{cite book|last=Holtz|first=T.|year=2015|title=Paleontologists: Searching for Dinosaur Bones|publisher=Enslow Publishing, LLC|pages=54|isbn=978-0766069640}}{{cite book|last=Paul|first=Gregory S.|author-link=Gregory S. Paul|title=The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs|date=2024|publisher=Princeton University Press|location=Princeton, New Jersey|isbn=9780691231570|page=116|edition=3rd}}{{cite journal|last=Holtz|first=Thomas R.|year=2021|title=Theropod guild structure and the tyrannosaurid niche assimilation hypothesis: implications for predatory dinosaur macroecology and ontogeny in later Late Cretaceous Asiamerica|journal=Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences|volume=58|issue=9|pages=778−795|doi=10.1139/cjes-2020-0174|bibcode=2021CaJES..58..778H |hdl=1903/28566 |hdl-access=free}}

It has been determined that Mapusaurus was diagnosed on autapomorphies, or unique traits, in regions of the skeleton that Giganotosaurus does not preserve. In terms of autapomorphic features, Mapusaurus only differs from Giganotosaurus in lacking a second opening on the middle quadrate, and in some details of the topology of the nasal rugosities.{{Cite journal|last1=Carrano|first1=Matthew T.|last2=Benson|first2=Roger B. J.|last3=Sampson|first3=Scott D.|date=June 1, 2012|title=The phylogeny of Tetanurae (Dinosauria: Theropoda)|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230808558|journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology|volume=10|issue=2|pages=211–300|doi=10.1080/14772019.2011.630927|bibcode=2012JSPal..10..211C |s2cid=85354215|issn=1477-2019}} Despite this, Mapusaurus differs from Giganotosaurus in a variety of both cranial and postcranial characters, and the fact that said characters are not autapomorphic is not considered suggestive of a potential genus synonymy.

File:Mapusaurus Roseae restoration.png

The fossil remains of Mapusaurus were discovered in a bone bed containing at least seven to possibly up to nine individuals of various growth stages.{{Cite journal |last1=Eddy |first1=Drew R. |last2=Clarke |first2=Julia A. |date=March 21, 2011 |title=New Information on the Cranial Anatomy of Acrocanthosaurus atokensis and Its Implications for the Phylogeny of Allosauroidea (Dinosauria: Theropoda) |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=e17932 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0017932 |pmid=21445312 |pmc=3061882 |issn=1932-6203|bibcode=2011PLoSO...617932E |doi-access=free }}{{Cite journal |last1=Canale |first1=Juan Ignacio |last2=Novas |first2=Fernando Emilio |last3=Salgado |first3=Leonardo |last4=Coria |first4=Rodolfo Aníbal |date=December 1, 2015 |title=Cranial ontogenetic variation in Mapusaurus roseae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) and the probable role of heterochrony in carcharodontosaurid evolution |journal=Paläontologische Zeitschrift |language=en |volume=89 |issue=4 |pages=983–993 |doi=10.1007/s12542-014-0251-3 |bibcode=2015PalZ...89..983C |s2cid=133485236 |issn=0031-0220|hdl=11336/19258 |hdl-access=free }} Coria and Currie speculated that this may represent a long term, possibly coincidental accumulation of carcasses (some sort of predator trap) and may provide clues about Mapusaurus behavior. Other known theropod bone beds and fossil graveyards include those of dromaeosaurids Deinonychus and Utahraptor,{{cite journal| doi=10.1080/02724634.1995.10011256|last=Maxwell|first=W. D. |author2= Ostrom, J.H. |year=1995 |title= Taphonomy and paleobiological implications of Tenontosaurus–Deinonychus associations|journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=15 |issue=4 |pages=707–712| bibcode= 1995JVPal..15..707M }} ([http://www.vertpaleo.org/publications/jvp/15-707-712.cfm abstract] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927204328/http://www.vertpaleo.org/publications/jvp/15-707-712.cfm |date=September 27, 2007}}){{cite journal |last1=Kirkland |first1=J.I. |author-link=James I. Kirkland |last2=Simpson |first2=E.L. |last3=DeBlieux |first3=D.D. |last4=Madsen |first4=S.K. |last5=Bogner |first5=E. |last6=Tibert |first6=N.E. |date=September 1, 2016 |title=Depositional constraints on the Lower Cretaceous stikes quarry dinosaur site: Upper yellow cat member, cedar mountain formation, Utah |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308041652 |journal=PALAIOS |volume=31 |issue=9 |pages=421–439 |bibcode=2016Palai..31..421K |doi=10.2110/palo.2016.041 |s2cid=132388318}} those of Allosaurus from the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry of Utah,{{cite book |last=Hunt |first=Adrian P |author2=Lucas, Spencer G.|author3= Krainer, Karl|author4= Spielmann, Justin |year=2006 |chapter=The taphonomy of the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, Utah: a re-evaluation |editor=Foster, John R. |editor2=Lucas, Spencer G. |title=Paleontology and Geology of the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation |series=New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin, 36 |publisher=New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science |location=Albuquerque, New Mexico |pages=57–65}} and those of tyrannosaurids Teratophoneus, Albertosaurus and Daspletosaurus.{{Cite journal|title=Geology and taphonomy of a unique tyrannosaurid bonebed from the upper Campanian Kaiparowits Formation of southern Utah: implications for tyrannosaurid gregariousness|first1=Alan L.|last1=Titus|first2=Katja|last2=Knoll|first3=Joseph J. W.|last3=Sertich|first4=Daigo|last4=Yamamura|first5=Celina A.|last5=Suarez|first6=Ian J.|last6=Glasspool|first7=Jonathan E.|last7=Ginouves|first8=Abigail K.|last8=Lukacic|first9=Eric M.|last9=Roberts|date=April 19, 2021|journal=PeerJ|volume=9|pages=e11013|doi=10.7717/peerj.11013|pmc=8061582 |pmid=33976955|doi-access=free}}

File:Mapusaurus bones.png

Paleontologist Rodolfo Coria, of the Museo Carmen Funes, contrary to his published article, repeated in a press-conference earlier suggestions that this congregation of fossil bones may indicate that Mapusaurus like Giganotosaurus also hunted in groups and worked together to take down large prey, such as the immense sauropod Argentinosaurus.{{cite news|agency=Associated Press |date=2006|title=Details Revealed About Huge Dinosaurs|publisher=ABC News US|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=1852246&page=1}}{{dead link|date=December 2017}} If so, this would be the first substantive evidence of gregarious behavior by large theropods other than Tyrannosaurus rex, although whether they might have hunted in organized packs (as wolves and lions do) or simply attacked in a mob, is unknown. The authors interpreted the depositional environment of the Huincul Formation at the Cañadón del Gato locality as a freshwater paleochannel deposit, "laid down by an ephemeral or seasonal stream in a region with arid or semi-arid climate". This bone bed is especially interesting, in light of the overall scarcity of fossilized bone within the Huincul Formation. An ontogenetic study by Canale et al. (2014) found that Mapusaurus displayed heterochrony, an evolutionary condition in which the animals may retain an ancestral characteristic during one stage of their life, but lose it as they develop. In Mapusaurus, the maxillary fenestrae are present in younger individuals, but gradually disappear as they mature.

File:Mapusaurus-skull-comparison.jpg

Cladistic analysis carried out by Coria and Currie definitively showed that Mapusaurus is nested within the clade Carcharodontosauridae. The authors noted that the structure of the femur suggests a closer relationship with Giganotosaurus than either taxon shares with Carcharodontosaurus. They created a new monophyletic taxon based on this relationship, the subfamily Giganotosaurinae, defined as all carcharodontosaurids closer to Giganotosaurus and Mapusaurus than to Carcharodontosaurus. They tentatively included the genus Tyrannotitan in this new subfamily, pending publication of more detailed descriptions of the known specimens of that form.

In their 2022 description of the large carcharodontosaurine Meraxes, Canale et al. recovered the following relationships for Mapusaurus and the Giganotosaurini.{{Cite journal |last1=Canale |first1=Juan I. |last2=Apesteguía |first2=Sebastián |last3=Gallina |first3=Pablo A. |last4=Mitchell |first4=Jonathan |last5=Smith |first5=Nathan D. |last6=Cullen |first6=Thomas M. |last7=Shinya |first7=Akiko |last8=Haluza |first8=Alejandro |last9=Gianechini |first9=Federico A. |last10=Makovicky |first10=Peter J. |date=July 2022 |title=New giant carnivorous dinosaur reveals convergent evolutionary trends in theropod arm reduction |journal=Current Biology |language=en |volume=32 |issue=14 |pages=3195–3202.e5 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.057|bibcode=2022CBio...32E3195C |doi-access=free |pmid=35803271 }}

{{clade| style=font-size:100%;line-height:80%

|1={{clade

|1=Neovenator

|2={{clade

|1=Concavenator 75px

|2=Eocarcharia

|3=Lajasvenator

|4=Lusovenator

|5={{clade

|1=Acrocanthosaurus

|2={{clade

|1=Shaochilong

|label2=Carcharodontosaurinae

|2={{clade

|1=Carcharodontosaurus spp.

|label2=Giganotosaurini

|2={{clade

|1=Meraxes

|2={{clade

|1=Tyrannotitan

|2={{clade

|1=Giganotosaurus

|2=Mapusaurus

}} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}

In his 2024 review of theropod relationships, Cau recovered similar results, with Tyrannotitan as the sister taxon to the clade formed by Mapusaurus and Giganotosaurus. His results are displayed in the cladogram below:{{cite journal |last1=Cau |first1=Andrea |title=A Unified Framework for Predatory Dinosaur Macroevolution |journal=Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana |date=2024 |volume=63 |issue=1 |page=1-19 |doi=10.4435/BSPI.2024.08 |doi-broken-date=November 20, 2024 |url=https://www.paleoitalia.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Cau_2024_BSPI_ONLINE.pdf }}{{clade|{{clade

|1=Neovenator

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Sauroniops

|2=Veterupristisaurus

|3=Lusovenator

|4=Eocarcharia {{small|(type skull roof)}}

|5=Concavenator 75px

}}

|2={{clade

|1=Carcharodontosaurus iguidensis {{small|(holotype maxilla)}}

|2={{clade

|1=Acrocanthosaurus

|2={{clade

|1=Eocarcharia {{small|(referred maxilla)}}

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Meraxes

|2=Carcharodontosaurus iguidensis {{small|(referred cranial material)}}

}}

|2={{clade

|1=Lajasvenator

|2={{clade

|1=Labocania

|2=Shaochilong

}}}}}}

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Carcharodontosaurus saharicus {{small|(neotype)}}

|2=Carcharodontosaurus saharicus {{small|(described by Stromer in 1931)}}

}}

|2={{clade

|1=Tyrannotitan

|2={{clade

|1=Mapusaurus

|2=Giganotosaurus

}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}|label1=Carcharodontosauridae}}

File:Huincul Formation Dinosauria Scale.svg, Mapusaurus in red| alt=Silhouettes of dinosaurs from the Huincul Formation as size comparison]]

As previously mentioned, the Huincul Formation is thought to represent an arid environment with ephemeral or seasonal streams. The age of this formation is estimated at 97 to 93.5 MYA.[https://paleobiodb.org/classic/displayStrata?geological_group=Neuqu%E9n&formation=Huincul&group_formation_member=Huincul Huincul Formation] at Fossilworks.org The dinosaur record is considered sparse here. Mapusaurus shared its environment with the sauropods Argentinosaurus (one of the largest sauropods, if not the largest), Choconsaurus, Chucarosaurus and Cathartesaura. Two other giant carcharodontosaurids, Meraxes and Taurovenator, were found in the same formation, but in older rocks than Mapusaurus, so they likely were not coevals.{{Cite journal |last1=Canale |first1=J.I. |last2=Apesteguía |first2=S. |last3=Gallina |first3=P.A. |last4=Mitchell |first4=J. |last5=Smith |first5=N.D. |last6=Cullen |first6=T.M. |last7=Shinya |first7=A. |last8=Haluza |first8=A. |last9=Gianechini |first9=F.A. |last10=Makovicky |first10=P.J. |date=July 7, 2022 |title=New giant carnivorous dinosaur reveals convergent evolutionary trends in theropod arm reduction |journal=Current Biology |volume=32 |issue=14 |pages=3195–3202.e5 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.057 |pmid=35803271 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2022CBio...32E3195C }}{{Cite journal |last1=Motta |first1=Matías J. |last2=Aranciaga Rolando |first2=Alexis M. |last3=Rozadilla |first3=Sebastián |last4=Agnolín |first4=Federico E. |last5=Chimento |first5=Nicolás R. |last6=Egli |first6=Federico Brissón |last7=Novas |first7=Fernando E. |date=June 2016 |title=New theropod fauna from the Upper Cretaceous (Huincul Formation) of northwestern Patagonia, Argentina |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304013683 |journal=New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin |volume=71 |pages=231–253 |via=ResearchGate}} The abelisaurid theropods Skorpiovenator and Ilokelesia also lived in the region.{{Cite journal |last1=Sánchez |first1=Maria Lidia |last2=Heredia |first2=Susana |last3=Calvo |first3=Jorge O. |date=2006 |title=Paleoambientes sedimentarios del Cretácico Superior de la Formación Plottier (Grupo Neuquén), Departamento Confluencia, Neuquén |trans-title=Sedimentary paleoenvironments in the Upper Cretaceous Plottier Formation (Neuquen Group), Confluencia, Neuquén |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287905148 |journal=Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina |volume=61 |issue=1 |pages=3–18 |via=ResearchGate}}

Fossilized pollen indicates a wide variety of plants was present in the Huincul Formation. A study of the El Zampal section of the formation found hornworts, liverworts, ferns, Selaginellales, possible Noeggerathiales, gymnosperms (including gnetophytes and conifers), and angiosperms (flowering plants), in addition to several pollen grains of unknown affinities.{{cite journal|last=Vallati|first=P.|title=Middle cretaceous microflora from the Huincul Formation ("Dinosaurian Beds") in the Neuquén Basin, Patagonia, Argentina|year=2001|journal=Palynology|volume=25|issue=1|doi=10.2113/0250179|pages=179–197|bibcode=2001Paly...25..179V |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241723727}} The Huincul Formation is among the richest Patagonian vertebrate associations, preserving fish including dipnoans and gar, chelid turtles, squamates, sphenodonts, neosuchian crocodilians, and a wide variety of dinosaurs.{{Cite journal| volume = 71| pages = 231–253| last1 = Motta| first1 = M.J.| last2 = Aranciaga Rolando| first2 = A.M.| last3 = Rozadilla| first3 = S.| last4 = Agnolín| first4 = F.E.| last5 = Chimento| first5 = N.R.| last6 = Egli| first6 = F.B.| last7 = Novas| first7 = F.E.| title = New theropod fauna from the upper cretaceous (Huincul Formation) of Northwestern Patagonia, Argentina| journal = New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin| date = 2016|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OsJQDwAAQBAJ&q=huincul+formation+Argentinosaurus&pg=PA231}}{{cite journal|last1=Motta|first1=M.J.|last2=Brissón Egli|first2=F.|last3=Aranciaga Rolando|first3=A.M.|last4=Rozadilla|first4=S.|last5=Gentil|first5=A. R.|last6=Lio|first6=G.|last7=Cerroni|first7=M.|last8=Garcia Marsà|first8=J.|last9=Agnolín|first9=F. L.|last10=D'Angelo|first10=J. S.|last11=Álvarez-Herrera|first11=G. P.|last12=Alsina|first12=C.H.|last13=Novas|first13=F.E.|title=New vertebrate remains from the Huincul Formation (Cenomanian–Turonian;Upper Cretaceous) in Río Negro, Argentina|year=2019|journal=Publicación Electrónica de la Asociación Paleontológica Argentina|volume=19|issue=1|pages=R26|doi=10.5710/PEAPA.15.04.2019.295|s2cid=127726069 |url=http://www.peapaleontologica.org.ar/index.php/peapa/article/viewFile/295/355|access-date=December 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214020232/http://www.peapaleontologica.org.ar/index.php/peapa/article/viewFile/295/355|archive-date=December 14, 2019|url-status=live|doi-access=free|hdl=11336/161858|hdl-access=free}} Vertebrates are most commonly found in the lower, and therefore older, part of the formation.{{cite journal|last1=Bellardini|first1=F.|last2=Filippi|first2=L.S.|year=2018|title=New evidence of saurischian dinosaurs from the upper member of the Huincul Formation (Cenomanian) of Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina|journal=Reunión de Comunicaciones de la Asociación Paleontológica Argentina|pages=10}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Mapusaurus}}

{{Wikispecies|Mapusaurus}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160930130941/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/04/0417_060417_large_dino.html Meat-Eating Dinosaur Was Bigger Than T. Rex.] National Geographic News
• "[http://www.miketaylor.org.uk/dino/faq/s-size/predator/index.html What were the longest/heaviest predatory dinosaurs?]". Mike Taylor. The Dinosaur FAQ. August 27, 2002. (Named as Unnamed Argentinian Carcharodontosaurine)
• "[And the Largest Theropod is... http://dml.cmnh.org/2003Jul/msg00355.html]". The Dinosaur Mailing List Archives. Retrieved March 21, 2010 (Named as Undescribed Carcharodontosaurine)

{{Theropoda|A.}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q131176}}

Category:Carcharodontosauridae

Category:Dinosaur genera

Category:Turonian dinosaurs

Category:Huincul Formation

Category:Fossil taxa described in 2006

Category:Taxa named by Rodolfo Coria

Category:Taxa named by Philip J. Currie

Category:Dinosaurs of Argentina