The earliest dinosaurs arose around 235 million years ago during the Middle Triassic Period.
The few shreds of evidence found to prove that they were omnivorous. The first dinosaur populations varied and evolved into various new forms.
This includes the ancestors of the long-necked sauropods and a group called the theropods, which includes all the known carnivorous dinosaurs.
It was after a mass extinction at the end of the Triassic Period, that carnivorous dinosaurs started to spread and get big.
In this article, you will read about the largest meat-eating dinosaurs.
Spinosaurus
The largest known dinosaur on this list and the only one to have spent more than half of its time in the water.
Spinosaurus measured 50 feet in length and it is assumed to have weighed up to a whopping 22 tonnes, which is approximately equivalent to a cruise ship's anchor.
Approximately, six main specimens of Spinosaurus have been discovered and described. Evidence suggests that it was semi-aquatic, and lived both on land and in water as modern crocodiles do.
Carcharodontosaurus
Carcharodontosaurus includes some of the longest and heaviest carnivorous dinosaurs known to mankind.
First discovered and described by palaeontologist, Ernst Stromer in 1931, this 45 foot-long theropod prowled what is now North Africa between 145 and 72 million years ago.
Its teeth were notched, built to slice into the flesh just like the Great White Sharks of today do. It inspired the scientists to name its family Carcharodontosauridae which means shark-toothed lizard.
Giganotosaurus
Giganotosaurus, one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs is thought to have been homeothermic.
It is a type of warm-bloodedness, with a metabolism lying between that of a mammal and a reptile, which possibly enables its fast growth.
A study done with a discovered model suggested that Giganotosaurus couldn’t chase its prey over 31.3 mph or else it would lose its balance.
Giganotosaurus was once thought to be the largest meat-eater of all dinosaurs back when it was first discovered in the mid-90s, though larger specimens of other dinosaurs have been found since then.
Tyrannosaurus
Widely known as T-rex, tyrannosaurus is one of the most well-represented ones of the large theropods. Tyrannosaurus was a bipedal carnivore, having a massive skull balanced by a long, heavy tail.
Parallel to its large and heavy hind limbs, the forelimbs of Tyrannosaurus were short but unusually strong for their height and had two clawed digits as well.
It is known amongst the largest known land predators and is also estimated to have exerted the strongest bite force amongst all other terrestrial animals.
Bahariasaurus
To date, the precise location of Bahariasaurus is a little unclear, although it has been attributed to many groups of theropods, including Carcharodontosaurus and Tyrannosaurus, in different ways.
Similar to the T in its extensive characteristics, Rex, Bahariasaurus, with tiny spines cropped upon its head and tail, could measure up to 16 feet high and 40 feet in length.
Deinocheirus
Deinocheirus is also known as the largest ostrich-like dinosaur known. The largest known specimen of a deinocheirus measured about 11–12 m long with an estimated weight of 6.4–7 tons.
It possesses largest forelimbs discovered of any bipedal dinosaur. It is a bulky animal with a narrow body.
With its long and sharp teeth and claws, Deinocheirus fed on plants, fish, and more than likely any other small creature that crossed its path.
It even had a thick, spiny sail-like backbone, giving it a more unique look.
Oxalia Quilombensis
The largest Spinosaur, this dinosaur has spent part of its time in the water, munching on fish with its huge, crocodile-like jaws.
Oxalaia is also called the dominant reptile of what is now, Cajual Island.
A lot of information is still unclear about Oxalaia quilombensis, as all that researchers currently have are its skull fragments dating back 95 million years ago.
From these two fragments, the dinosaur is said to have weighed up to approximately eight tons.
Acrocanthosaurus
Acrocanthosaurus, unlike other dinosaur genera, contains only a single species. It is a bipedal predator. At 1.5 metres in length and weighing up to 6.2 metric tonnes, it is one of the largest theropods.
A series of tall neural spines found on the vertebrae of the neck back, hips and upper tail, which may be more than 2.5 times the height of the vertebrae from which it stretches, is the most noticeable characteristic of an Acrocanthosaurus.
Acrocanthosaurus was bipedal with a long heavy tail counterbalancing the head and torso, keeping its centre of gravity above its hips.
While it is still unclear what purpose its high-spine “sail” of may have served, some theories believe it might have been a defensive mechanism to appear larger or to regulate its body temperature.
The dinosaur also had extremely small feet for a creature of its size, perhaps due to the dry climate it walked in.
Tarbosaurus
Widely known as the six-foot cousin of Tyrannosaurus, it was first discovered in China’s Gobi Desert. The largest specimen measuring to 40 feet in length was found in a 70-million-year-old rock base in Mongolia.
Tarbosaurus was a massive bipedal predator weighing nearly 5 metric tones and armed with about 60 large teeth. He lived in the humid river banks of the floodplain. It most probably preyed on other dinosaurs and water species.
The forelimb and hindlimbs were structures such that it supported the body in a bipedal posture. As a counterweight to the head and torso, the long and heavy tail of the Saurus served to place the centre of gravity over the hips.
Typically, carnivorous dinosaurs had long, strong legs so that they could run fast to catch their prey. They also needed large, strong jaws, sharp teeth, and claws to feed on their prey.
Another important factor was good eyesight, a keen sense of smell, and a large brain to plan hunting strategies which were also very important for successful hunting.
Edited By - Christeena George
Written By - Nandita Singh
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