Top 10 Biggest Carnivorous Dinosaurs in History

Dinosaurs are prehistoric creatures that lived during the Triassic Period over 230 million years ago. They are large reptiles that are members of the subclass archosaurs or “ruling reptiles.” This subclass also houses birds and crocodiles; hence, they are related to the great dinosaur.

Today, however, dinosaurs are extinct. Researchers try to preserve what they can, and with modern technology, they have made it possible to enhance dinosaur bones by scanning them digitally. With this, they can create an image of what a dinosaur looks like.

But, distinguishing its actual weight and size is near impossible. Only well-preserved bones can give a small indication as to what the dinosaur’s exact sizes are. With this, we have gathered the top 10 biggest carnivorous dinosaurs in history.

Though most of these are mere theories, ad debates are still going on; this is always the right way of adding more information and knowledge about these giants. We know that we all have been fascinated by dinosaurs since we were children, and with science to back this up, we could learn more and add more information to our already curious minds.

10. Tarbosaurus

First on our list is the smallest out of the ten we have listed out for you. Discovered amongst a 70-million-year-old rock formation in Mongolia, the Tarbosaurus has a length of about 40 feet and weighs about 6 tons. This dinosaur can also be a relative of the American Tyrannosaurus Rex.

There is still some controversy regarding this dinosaur because of its similarity to the Tyrannosaurus Rex. It’s speculated that the T-rex has a growth spurt during its teenage years, and it is not entirely impossible to reach the size of a Tarbosaurus. While the T-rex is called the king of North American dinosaurs, the Tarbosaurus was its equal in Asia.

The name of the Tarbosaurus came from a Greek word that means “alarming lizard” due to its size and deadly jaws and claws that could easily tear a person. Even with the dinosaur’s colossal size, it can be hard to imagine to be the smallest dinosaur on this list, and it is a wonder to find out the rest of the giant dinosaur’s sizes.

9. Acrocanthosaurus

This next dinosaur weighs more, and it gets better. The Acrocanthosaurus is also known as the “high-spined lizard” and could weigh about 7 tons. First discovered in 1940 in Oklahoma, the Acrocanthosaurus measured 36 feet in length. The Acrocanthosaurus walked the earth around 150 million years ago and has a high-spine feature as a defense mechanism to make it look larger when there is danger. Their feet are tiny for their vast size, which could be because of their climate.

This dinosaur was related to Allosaurus, but its spine in 1980 showed that it has the same build as a spinosaurid. But the latest discovery for this dinosaur was in 2018 when scientists discovered they are more similar to the Gigantosaurus of South America.

8. Oxalaia Quilombensis

Net on our list is the Oxalaia Quilombensis dinosaur. It weighs about 8 tons and mostly lived in water, feeding on fish. There are little known facts about this giant, and only a few of these dinosaur fragments were found. The pieces of the bones dated back 95 million years ago when this dinosaur was alive.

It has a crocodile-like jaw, and with a weight this massive, it would not be very comforting to be in the water if this creature were alive today.

Some therapods tend to sniff twice before lowering their head and attacking another predator or potential food. The characteristic of this dinosaur shows otherwise.

As a defensive mechanism when in danger, it sends down a vibration throughout its body by shaking its head and body. This therapod is the largest known therapod in Brazil, where its fossils were first discovered. In 2018, a massive fire in Brazil burned down the museum where the dinosaur bones came to rest. There have been no known new findings of remains or fossils up to this day.

7. Deinocheirus

This next one is bigger than the other three dinosaurs mentioned above. The Deinocheirus walked the earth roughly 100.5 million years ago. It was first discovered around 1965 when a pair of its limbs were unearthed in the Gobi Desert. The climbs were about 8 feet in length, and attach to it were its claws of about 8 inches long.

In 2000, scientists had discovered most of its skeleton and had assembled the massive dinosaur. Using technology, they were able to get a glimpse of what his dinosaur looked like. It had a thick sail-like spine that gave it an exciting and unique feature and an enormous bill with razor-sharp teeth.

This dinosaur is considered the longest therapod in history, although not the largest one. Its mouth is small, that scientists have concluded that they mostly eat small animals like fish, plants, and even fungi. It is also believed that instead of reptile skin, its body was covered in feathers, like a bird. It sounds more convincing like this, for it has bird-like qualities rather than reptilian ones.

This dinosaur has appeared in Jurassic World movies. Still, the closest depiction of this dinosaur was from 2018’s Jurassic World: Alive, wherein they were the center of attention in a tournament, and the portrayal of this dinosaur was almost perfect.

6. Bahariasaurus

First found in Egypt, the Bahariasaurus roamed the earth about 95 million years ago. Earnst Stormer first introduced this dinosaur in 1935 and is said to be a therapod, a kind of dinosaur with three toes both on the arms and legs. It resembles a T-rex but is smaller than one. It can weigh from 4 tons to about nine and a half tons and has a height of 16 feet and 40 feet. Also, it has little cropped up spines that go up to its head and back. The discovered bones were kept in a Munich museum, which was later destroyed during World War II. Up to this day, there are no new known discoveries of the Bahariasaurus.

5. Tyrannosaurus Rex

This dinosaur has been featured in many films up to this day. The Tyrannosaurus Rex is a famous figure in the world of adventure. But this giant was alive for some time, way back 66 million years ago in Canada. This dinosaur was calculated to be about 10 tons in weight and standing over 4 feet. There has been an ongoing debate on whether or not this dinosaur is the largest dinosaur recorded as of today.

The first T-rex found was given the name “Scotty,” and it was discovered that it had an injury on its ribs, jaw, and tail. The marks that were discovered were then said to be bite marks of another T-rex. They are territorial and predatory and will fight others for food.

This dinosaur has an extreme bite force and can open and stretch its jaw to about 80 degrees wide. Though not as big as the Allosaurus’s mouth, its bite is as fatal and deadly as others. The skull of the T-rex has a lot of holes or openings that are called the fenestra. This is the same as what a crocodile skull looks like today. This helps the head cool down and help lighten the skull’s weight, giving the dinosaur the right balance to stand on its legs. You can find that the T-rex is a popular character, especially in Jurassic World, wherein this species is the story’s villain.

4. Giganotosaurus

In fourth place of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs, the Giganotosaurus earned its place by weighing over 14 tons. This has been the largest carnivorous dinosaur discovered in the 90s, although larger specimens have been discovered recently. The first-ever specimen was found in southern Argentina, and it measured 42 feet in length from head to tail, with its skull over 5 feet long. A model was made in 2001, and it is said that these giants cannot run over the speed of 31 kph, for it is possible that it could lose its balance.

It’s safe to say that if this dinosaur still exists, you will be safe in a car that has a speed of more than 31 kph. But with a massive creature like this, it could still be impossible to outrun it.

3. Carcharodontosaurus Iguidensis

This theropod is 45 feet long and weighs over 15 tons, making this dinosaur the 3rd largest carnivorous dinosaur on our list. Ernst Stromer made this discovery in 1935. It was said to have roamed the land of North Africa 7 to 100 million years ago. Its teeth are serrated like a Great White Sharks, which inspired the name that means “shark-toothed lizard.” Both the Carcharodontosaurus Saharicus and Iguidensis remains were placed in the Munich Museum and later on were destroyed because of a bomb during World War II.

The remains of this dinosaur could not be saved during the bombing in World War II, and scientists are still trying to find more remains of this creature to continue studying these enormous beasts that have walked the earth millions of years ago. Although it might sound impossible, everyone is on board with getting more information to add to nature’s beautiful discoveries.

2. Carcharodontosaurus Saharicus

Scientists discovered this gigantic dinosaur in 1924 when two teeth were found in Alegria. They were also identified as a relative of the shark species and have subspecies categories. They are considered to be about 15 tons in weight and a length of 42 feet.

There is little information about this species, but scientists are trying to dig up more fossils so they can find a match to this dinosaur. There is hope in studying the species and giving the world more information about this magnificent creature that is the 2nd largest carnivorous dinosaur on the planet.

1. Spinosaurus

The largest carnivorous dinosaur on our list is the Spinosaurus. It is a massive 22 tons and a length of 50 feet. It also has 7 foot long spines that grew from its back that developed into an enormous fin. Paleontologist Ernst Stromer described this gigantic creature as the “spined lizard” and was believed to be the first-ever dinosaur to learn how to swim. It lived and thrived in North American swamps 97 million years ago. Its primary source of food is fish, which it chows down using its razor-sharp snout. This dinosaur spends a lot of its time in the water rather than on land, but there are still speculations of whether this dinosaur is the largest meat-eating dinosaur ever to live.

There are some contradictions as to whether this dinosaur is a semi-aquatic dinosaur, for studies have shown that they could not dive or duck their head underwater. All they can do is keep their head above water as they paddle with their arms and legs. The enormous fin on their back is an added support not to be exhausted while swimming since they weigh too much.

Up to this day, the debate on whether they are crocodilian, amphibious, or aquatic has not ended yet. Many unanswered questions and different theories are providing additional facts about the largest carnivorous dinosaur on the planet.

Conclusion

Imagining dinosaurs are still alive at present times can be a terrifying nightmare. It might be a chance, or fate, that a meteor collided on earth, which made dinosaurs go extinct before humans walked the earth. With only ten dinosaurs on the list and a hundred more species not mentioned here, it shows that there are wonders that the world has seen. If you’d like to learn more about other large dinosaurs, we suggest reading the Meet the Most Massive Dinosaur to Ever Stomp the Earth by BBC.

But, although dinosaurs are extinct, some evolved and became less scary. Birds and other reptiles and amphibians are their relatives, but they have become smaller over the years, and now, we peacefully strive with them. We even have some of their relatives as pets!

With this being said, let us remember that these giants’ fate can also be our fate in the future to come. We’ll never know when our species will go extinct, and the mystery of the world remains the same. So, let us live fruitfully enjoy every moment that we have in this world.

What Do You Think?

What are your thoughts about the top 10 biggest carnivorous dinosaurs on this list? If there were a Jurrasic Park made in the future with living dinosaurs, would you visit the park for the experience? Let us know by telling us your thoughts below.