The study of Theropod dinosaurs, the name given to that Sub-Order of Dinosauria that contains the meat-eaters has been much in the news of late. There have been a whole of new provocative finds and discoveries and a whole of new meat-eating dinosaurs have been named and described. A new superstar surrounded by the Theropods is genuinely Giganotosaurus (Giganotosaurus carolini), why? The respond is simple, most palaeontologists regard this giant predator from Argentina to be the largest meat-eating dinosaur known to science. For over a Century, T. Rex was heralded as the biggest, there is some evidence to advise that Tyrannosaurus rex may reclaim its title, but for the occasion it is "Giant Southern Lizard", as that is what Giganotosaurus means; that holds sway.
In recognition of the new popularity and fame of Giganotosaurus, a whole of model manufacturers have produced scale models of it. First, there was Safari and their graceful and delicate finding model launched a consolidate of years ago. Bullyland followed last year with a scale model of Giganotosaurus as part of their preponderant Museum Line range, this animal had an articulated jaw and a provocative red head. Now Schleich of Germany have got in on the act and produced their own scale model of Giganotosaurus, the only expanding this year to their highly acclaimed Saurus Replica series.
Weigh Scale
Getting to Grips with Giganotosaurus
Discovered back in 1993, Giganotosaurus has had a fine rise in the dinosaur popularity stakes, although T. Rex remains the most popular dinosaur in the world, in our own buyer surveys, Giganotosaurus is gaining bit by bit, year on year. This is not bad, especially when you consider that this dinosaur was only once named and described fifteen years ago. The fossils of Giganotosaurus were found in Patagonia (Neuquen Province), Argentina, unlike most Theropod genera (Carcharodontosaurus, Deltadromeus and Megalosaurus for example), Giganotosaurus is known from an roughly unblemished skeleton. Two specimens were found, in close presence to each other, the first discovery turned out to be an animal with nearly three-quarters of its skeleton preserved. Nearby, the jawbone of an even larger specimen of Giganotosaurus was found. Although it is difficult to supply an exact estimate of the size and scale of this member of the Allosauroidea clade, especially since in the fossil specimens a lot of the tail bones are missing, scientists have estimated this animal to be over 14 metres long. This makes it fractionally bigger than the largest Tyrannosaurus specimen known - "Sue" which is on display at the Field Museum of Chicago. Giganotosaurus weighed between 4-8 Tonnes and its skull was bigger than any excavated Tyrannnosaur material. It has been recommend that this dinosaur specialised as a hunter of the large, herbivorous Titanosaurs that shared its mid Cretaceous environment. An analysis of the ratio between the upper and lower leg bones suggests that Giganotosaurus was not a fast runner. However, it would not need speed to catch up with the big Titanosaurus, just the quality to tackle animals that could weigh as much as 100 Tonnes and the new Schleich model depicts an animal more than capable of this.
The new Giganotosaurus Model from Schleich
The Schleich Giganotosaurus (product code 16464) stands an impressive 20 cm tall (measured head height) and is roughly 36 cm long. It is provocative to note that in the new 2010 collectors handbook and account from this German manufacturer there are no measurements given for the actual models. However, we always like to measure them ourselves and issue the scale facts online. Based on the scientific papers published on Giganotosaurus we have estimated this model to be based on a 1:20 scale, putting it into the same scale range as the other big Theropods in the Schleich range, namely T. Rex, Spinosaurus and Allosaurus. Interestingly, in the promotional photographs we were sent, the Giganotosaurus is depicted in combat with the Schleich Spinosaurus. Although these two large meat-eaters did exist in the same geological time period (Albian faunal stage of the mid- Cretaceous), they lived in distinct parts of the world and it is relatively safe to assume that a Spinosaurus never met a Giganotosaurus. The head of the model is turned into the body to some extent and the tail is bent back a little, this provides a degree of animation to the otherwise static model and makes it more garage in its bipedal stance. We had reservations as to how garage such a big model would be when it was in the prototype stage, but the subtle adjustment of the head and tail position has maintained the centre of balance over the hips, eliminating any problems about getting the model to stand up.
Exquisite detail especially the Head
The Schleich Giganotosaurus is coloured light brown with some random tan spots running along the flank. There are spines along the entire body of the animal from the tip of the snout, along the head, down the neck and back and to the very end of the tail. We are not inescapable whether Giganotosaurus possessed such spines but the result is most genuinely very imposing. The rear legs are immense and very heavily muscled, an exact estimate of the anatomy of this dinosaur, reflecting the scientific work on the body proportions. The tail is very deep-set and looks highly powerful. This model has the thickest tail of any meat-eating dinosaur in the Schleich Saurus range. The tail is nearly twice as thick where it joins the body compared to the scale model of Tyrannosaurus.
Like most of the Theropod models in the Schleich range the head is shown with the mouth open (the irregularity to this is the Schleich Allosaurus model). To show a dinosaur with its mouth open is a common feature of most dinosaur models. This gives the found team the chance to show details of the mouth, the teeth and the tongue for example. The open mouth gives the impression of movement, as if the animal is roaring. In reality, it is very unlikely that dinosaurs walked around with their mouths open most of the time. A study of extant predators today such as lions and tigers advise that dinosaurs would not have moved around with their jaws agape. Still, this small point aside, it has to be said that the head of the Giganotosaurus model is finished in perfect detail, The teeth are well made and to scale and the anatomical features of the skull and jaws accurately portrayed. The eye is black and has a dull, lifeless quality that gives this model the appearance of a ruthless killer, which is inescapable to make this single Giganotosaurus model a real favourite surrounded by dinosaur fans and model collectors.
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