Bigger Than Tyrannosaurus Rex

Book excerpt: In 1993, a giant bone was discovered by an amateur fossil hunter in the badlands of central Argentina. The two paleontologists who were summoned to the site thought it was the thigh of a plant-eating dinosaur, but further examination showed it to be the shin of a previously unknown species of predatory dinosaur. "Bigger Than T-Rex is an account of the excavation of the fossil and the subsequent reconstruction of a dinosaur thought to have been bigger, heavier, and fiercer than the reigning "king" of the meat-eaters, "Tyrannosaurus rex. In clear, easy-to-follow language, dinosaur expert Don Lessem explains how the scientists drew conclusions about the size and habits of the new species, how they came to give it its name-"Giganotosaurus-and how it compared to other dinosaurs. Illustrated with color photographs of the excavation and meticulously painted reconstructions of "Giganotosaurus and other species, here is up-to-the-minute news about dinosaur discoveries for dinophiles of all ages.