The Mapusaurus had narrow blade-like teeth with wrinkled enamel, heavily sculptured facial bones, and a shelf above the eyes formed by an eyelid behind the eye socket.

Mapusaurus is the correct spelling (notice the “u” after the “p”).

Mapasaurus is incorrect. (notice the “a” after the “p”).

Patagonia’s surface rock structure makes finding fossils fairly easy. And the discoveries of giant dinosaurs in this region have been astounding. Not only did the Mapusaurus live here, but also the Giganotosaurus and the Argentinasaurus.

For more information about the Patagonian region of Plaza Huincul, you can visit Welcome Argentina. They have some nice photos and information about this famous dinosaur home.

Mapusaurus would likely run in, slice out gouges of an animal, and then retreat, waiting for it to bleed to death. Working together would make this a different hunting technique than that of dinosaurs such as the Tyrannosaurus rex.

Mapusaurus were probably slightly bigger than T. rex. Although both animals were large, bulky “macropredators” that walked on their hind legs and used their teeth as their basic weapons, there were significant differences.

“Mapusaurs have long, thin skulls with knife-like teeth and jaws that can close very fast,” Philip Currie said. “T. rex has a short skull with powerful, banana-shaped teeth better for biting through bone.”

The Mapusaurs’ teeth were about the length of one human hand and had thin, blade-like teeth capable of slicing the flesh of other dinosaurs, unlike T-rex’s stronger, spike-shaped teeth that crunched through its prey. Because Mapusaurus had smaller brains, and heavier, shorter legs than T-rex, it would not have been able to run as fast on its hind legs. However, since it chased slower, larger animals, it was able to hunt efficiently.

“During the attack, what it could do is run in, take a big gouge out of an animal, move back and then hopefully wait for it to bleed to death. A very different kind of technique.”