Giganotosaurus was fairly lightly built, with long, powerful legs that may have permitted swift running. The type specimen, MUCPv-Ch1, is estimated to be 12.4 metres in length and roughly 7 tons in weight while the larger MUCPv-95 is estimated at 13.2 metres long and 8.2 to 9.1 tons in weight, making it slightly larger than Tyrannosaurus. Giganotosaurus is known from two specimens, both of which indicate that it was a very large theropod. This largest Giganotosaurus specimen is estimated to represent an individual with a skull length of 195 cm (6.40 ft), compared to the holotype's estimated at 1.80 m (5.9 ft) skull, making it likely that Giganotosaurus had the largest skull of any known theropod. A second, more fragmentary, specimen (MUCPv-95) has also been identified, found in 1987 by Jorge Calvo.It is only known from the front part of the left dentary which is 8% larger than the equivalent bone from the holotype. The premaxillae, jugals, quadratojugals, the back of the lower jaws and the forelimbs are missing. The holotype specimen's (MUCPv-Ch1) skeleton was about 70% complete and included parts of the skull, a lower jaw, pelvis, hindlimbs and most of the backbone<. The generic name means "giant southern reptile", derived from the Ancient Greek gigas meaning "giant", notos meaning "south wind" and -sauros meaning "reptile". The type species is Giganotosaurus carolinii. The initial description was published by Rodolfo Coria and Leonardo Salgado in the journal Nature in September 1995. The discovery was scientifically reported in 1994. The most complete find of Giganotosaurus was made by Rubén Dario Carolini, an amateur fossil hunter who, on 25 July 1993, discovered a skeleton in deposits of Patagonia (southern Argentina) in what is now considered the Candeleros Formation.
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