CollectA Mapusaurus – The First Pictures

In the late 1990s a number of remarkable theropod fossil discoveries were made in Argentina.  Giganotosaurus is perhaps the best known of these, but it is most certainly not the only apex predator known from the Cretaceous strata of this part of the world – time for the CollectAMapusaurus to enter the fray.

CollectA Mapusaurus

Mapusaurus (Mapusaurus roseae) was a giant theropod dinosaur, whose fossilised bones were first discovered in the Huincul Formation in the Rio Negro and Neuquen provinces of Argentina in 1997.  Over the next few years, the expedition returned to the area on several occasions to continue the dig.  At least the bodies of seven individuals (possibly as many as nine), were excavated, ranging from sub-adult specimens that were approximately six metres in length, to gigantic adults that rivalled T. rex in terms of size.  The specific name for this species – roseae is derived from the rose coloured strata from which this animal was excavated and Rose Letwin the sponsor of several of the expeditions to the site.

Mapusaurus is one of the relatively new dinosaur discoveries now featured in a model range.  This not to scale model of this member of the allosaur family, depicts Mapusaurus as a hunter with a bright, very visible and distinctive head.  This gaudy colour could have helped this dinosaur with intraspecific displays, perhaps to settle disputes amongst pack members.

The First Pictures of the CollectA Mapusaurus Model (CollectA Dinosaurs)

Fierce South American predator.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur/CollectA

Red-headed dinosaurs, are not an uncommon sight amongst large theropod replicas.  For instance, after Bakker proposed that T. rex may have had a bright red head a number of sculpts of this tyrannosaur with a scarlet head appeared.  We look forward to seeing more pictures of this model, it is always a pleasure to see a replica or a new meat-eating dinosaur enter the market.  Team members at Everything Dinosaur expect this model to be available from them in April/May of 2012.

The genus name does not come from the fact that the dinosaur dig site was difficult to locate on a map.  Mapusaurus is the term used for Earth by the indigenous Mapuche tribe of that part of Argentina where the fossils were first found.

To view the range of theropod figures in the CollectA Age of Dinosaurs/Prehistoric Life model range: CollectA Figures – Age of Dinosaurs/Prehistoric Life Models.