THE ULTIMATE HUNT

The evolutionary arms race between predator and prey has produced some epic battles. However, the most epic of these battles took place during the early Cretaceous Period in South America. During this time, the largest dinosaurs that ever existed clashed with one another for survival. The largest herbivore was Argentinosaurus, which was over a hundred feet long and about a hundred tons. That makes Argentinosaurus one of the largest land animals that ever lived. They were frequently hunted by the largest theropod (carnivorous) dinosaurs such as Giganotosaurus and Mapusaurus. Giganotosaurus and Mapusaurus were of similar size: 45 to 50 feet long and weigh between 8 to 9 tons. This predator/prey conflict was a true clash of the titans that shook the earth and filled the air with their deafening roars and bellows. When these animals battled, Giganotosaurus or Mapusaurus would hunt in packs in order to isolate one of the weaker Argentinosaurus from the herd. Once the victim was isolated, the predators would gang up on the creature, taking systematic bites out of the prey until it slowly dies from bloodless and exhaustion. Compared to lions hunting zebras, this hunt was far from as quick. I am thinking of portraying a similar hunt in my dinosaur series where the largest herbivore clashes with the largest predator.