Artist’s reconstruction of Meraxes gigas
A team of scientists in Argentina says it has discovered a new giant predatory dinosaur that had a huge head but small hands for its size.
Writing in the journal Current Biology, scientists say extensive skeletal remains of a previously unknown species have been unearthed in northern Patagonia.
Meraxes gigas was about 36 feet (11 m) long, with a 4-foot skull—but its arms were only 2 feet long.
Scientists believe that small limbs gave carnivores survival advantages.
“I’m convinced that those proportionally small hands had some function. The skeleton shows large muscle insertions and fully developed pectoral girdle, so the arm had strong muscles,” said Juan Canale, lead author of the study.
“They may have used the arms for reproductive behavior, such as holding the female during mating or supporting themselves to stand up after a break or fall,” he added.
His co-author Peter Makowicki said the dinosaur’s arms were “literally half the length of the skull and the animal could not have reached its mouth”.
Mr Makovicky said he believed the species’ massive heads were the primary predatory tool, taking over the functions that arms would have in smaller species.
Peter Makowicki says the dinosaur’s arms were “literally half the length of the skull”
Meraxes gigas – named after a fictional dragon from the Game of Thrones book series – belonged to the carcharodontosaurids, or shark-toothed lizards.
The four-ton reptiles are believed to have roamed the Earth about 90-100 million years ago.
Scientists say two other species — tyrannosaurids and abelisaurids — also developed small weapons for similar reasons.
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