Meet the Dinos

Just Some of the Dinos you'll meet

Southern dinosaurs have some unusual features - including sails, horns and spines - that are rarely, if ever, seen in their Northern relatives. Entirely different groups of dinosaurs came to dominate the South and North by the end of the Age of Dinosaurs. Differences in the shapes of their bodies, skulls, and even teeth hint at the animals' eating habits.


He never met T-Rex but if he did, we think he'd win the battle.

Meet Giganotosaurus, possibly the largest land predator to have ever lived.

Giganotosaurus comes from Argentina, in the same Neuquen province as Carnotaurus. However, Giganotosaurus lived during the Albian, or about 110 million years ago.

This dinosaur was named by the Argentinian palaeontologists Rodolfo Coria and Leonardo Salgado, who gave it the Latin name for "great southern lizard". The skeleton of Giganotosaurus is very well known with over 80% of all the bones found, which means the ROM's reconstruction is true-to-life.

You'll meet Giganotosaurus at the end of the ROM's exhibition, facing off with T-Rex in a North-South showdown finale. You can use augmented reality to enhance your experience of both dinosaurs using the iPads provided in the exhibition.



Strong like bull?

Meet Carnotaurus, our favourite horned friend.

Weighing in at 1.5 to 2.5 tons, Carnotaurus lived during the latest part of the Cretaceous period, right before the end of the Age of Dinosaurs.

This animal gets its name from the pair of distinctive horns on its head, which led its discoverers to give it the Latin name for 'meat-eating bull'. The horns were probably only for display, as the skull of Carnotaurus was not strong enough to survive head-butting.

Another feature of Carnotaurus is its relatively short snout, which gave it a distinctive bulldog-like look. This short skull may have also given it the ability to bite and hold its prey until it was subdued, much like a modern big cat.

Carnotaurus has contributed to our understanding of what dinosaurs looked like on the outside. A mostly complete Carnotaurus skeleton was found in Argentina in 1985, and skin impressions revealed that, unlike some other dinosaurs, Carnotaurus did not have feathers but skin with rows of bumps.

You'll get to see Carnotaurus' skin through augmented reality, using the iPad mobile digital devices provided in the exhibition.



Pronounced "os-trow-rap-tor", Austroraptor means "southern thief". It lived in what is now Patagonia, Argentina, during the Late Cretaceous.

Austroraptor was one of the largest known dromaeosaurs (a group of theropods with a large toe claw). Austroraptor had relatively small arms for a dromaeosaur, and probably did not use them for catching its prey. Instead, it probably used the large, sickle-shaped claw on its second toe. This would have been deadly and effective.

Its relatively long skull--over one metre (3.3 feet) in length--was very different from that of its northern relatives such as Velociraptor, and its teeth were conical. These suggest it may have eaten different types of prey.

Austroraptor was closely related to modern birds and other feathered dinosaurs. It therefore also probably had feathers, at least when it was young.

A recent discovery, Austroraptor was found by a team from Argentina and named by famed Argentinean palaeontologist Dr. Fernando Novas in 2008.


Lived during the Early Cretaceous about 125 million years ago in what is now Patagonia, northwest Argentina. The dinosaur grew to be up to 9 m (30 ft)long and 2.5 m (8 ft) tall, and weighed about 4000 kg (8,800 lbs).

It was distinctive for its large neck spines that measured up to 50 cm (1.6 ft) long, giving the animal a long frill along the length of its body. This frill may have been used to attract mates or compete with rivals.


The first dinosaur named from Antarctica, Cryolophosaurus lived 190 million years ago during the early Jurassic. It would have grown to over 7 m (23 ft) long and weighed around 450 kg (990 lbs).

Its name means "frozen crested lizard" which refers to the striking crest it sported on top of its head and the fact that fossils of this animal come from the cold bottom of the world.


Lived in North Africa during the Early Cretaceous about 110 million years ago. As an adult it may have measured over 11 m (36 ft) long and weighed over 3000 kg (6600 lbs).

A spinosaurid theropod with a head like a crocodile, it was a predator that likely used its long snout and sharp claws to hunt for fish.


The largest predatory dinosaur that lived in Madagascar and roamed the earth near the end of the Cretaceous. This carnivorous theropod was a stoutly built predator with very small arms and a powerful bite.

It measured up to 8 m (26 ft) long and weighed around 2000 kg (4400 lbs). Palaeontologists have found bite marks from this animal on bones of the same species, suggesting that these dinosaurs were cannibals.


Lived during the Early Cretaceous about 110 million years ago in Africa. It would have weighed around 3000 kg (6600 lbs) and may have reached up to 7 m (23 ft) long.

It had spikes on both of its thumbs, a large sail running down its spine and a beak on its mouth (like many duckbill dinosaurs) which was likely used to pull at and bite off tough plants.


Who's the biggest of them all?

Meet Futalognkosaurus, a dinosaur so big, our exhibition hall couldn't contain him.

ROM visitors will experience the world's first display of Futalognkosaurus, a giant long-necked sauropod. One of the biggest animals to have ever walked the earth, he stretches 110 feet long and weighed as much as ten elephants.

Futalognkosaurus dukei lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 88 million years ago. Its name comes from several sources: from the Mapuche indigenous language, with Futa meaning 'giant' and logkno meaning 'chief'; from the Greek language with saurus meaning lizard; and dukei was in honour of the Duke Energy Argentina Company that sponsored the excavation in 2002-3.

Futalognkosaurus will greet you as you enter the ROM.