Giganotosaurus vs Stegosaurus: Who Would Win in a Fight?

Written by Kyle Glatz
Updated: May 13, 2022
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Most people imagine T-Rex when they think of the biggest and toughest dinosaurs. However, another dinosaur that lived a few million years before T-Rex was arguably larger, faster, and deadlier. The Giganotosaurus was a massive theropod with a powerful bite and plenty of power. Yet, what happens when you pit a reptile with great offensive powers against one with very good defenses? That’s the question we’re here to answer by looking at a Giganotosaurus vs Stegosaurus battle.

We’ll break down this fight in several ways and determine which of these deadly dinosaurs would be left standing after a showdown.

Comparing a Giganotosaurus and a Stegosaurus

The Giganotosaurus has a significant size advantage.
GiganotosaurusStegosaurus
SizeWeight: 8,400 -17,600lbs
Height: 12-20ft
Length 45ft
Weight: 11,000lbs-15,400lbs Height: 7ft-9ft at the hip, closer to 14ft tall overall
Length: 20ft-30ft
Speed and Movement Type31 mph
– Bipedal striding
– 3.5-4.3 mph
Defenses– Large size
– Quick movement speed
– Good senses to detect movement
– Had up to 22 dermal plates that rose from their back which may have been used for defense – Strong bones
– Large Size
Offensive Capabilities-6,000 PSI bite power
-76 serrated teeth
– 8-inch teeth
– Sharp claws
– Ability to ram and knock over foes
– Would swing its tail and slam its thagomizer (tail spikes) into predators
–  Tail spikes measure between 2ft and 3ft
Predatory Behavior– Likely would attack large prey with teeth and claws and wait for them to bleed
– May have worked in groups with others
– None since it was an herbivore  

What Are Key Differences Between a Giganotosaurus and a Stegosaurus?

Stegosaurus in Forest

Stegosaurus was a slow-moving herbivore.

©Warpaint/Shutterstock.com

The biggest differences between a Giganotosaurus and a Stegosaurus lie in their morphology and food preferences. Giganotosaurus was a carnivorous bipedal theropod that stood 20ft tall, had a massive head with large teeth, and also possessed a long tail, but the Stegosaurus was an herbivorous dinosaur that had a very small head on a rather short neck along with a long tail with four spikes on the end.

These significant differences provide various points of comparison between the two dinosaurs. Furthermore, knowing these unique qualities grants insight into which of the creatures would be most capable in a fight.  

What Are the Key Factors in a Fight Between a Giganotosaurus and a Stegosaurus?

How can we determine the winner of a fight between two dinosaurs that never existed at the same time? We’ve identified key factors like size, speed, and attacking methods that would play an actual role in a fight between these dinosaurs.

We’re going to examine parts of each factor for both dinosaurs, determine which has the advantage in various situations, and then cumulatively apply that knowledge to decide the winner!

Giganotosaurus vs Stegosaurus: Size

The Giganotosaurus was larger than the Stegosaurus. The average weight of the Giganotosaurus would range between 8,400lbs and 17,600lbs, and it could stand 20ft tall while measuring 45ft long! The Stegosaurus was still a large dinosaur, weighing up to 15,400lbs, but only standing 14ft overall and measuring about 30ft long at its utmost.

The Giganotosaurus has the size advantage in this fight.  

Giganotosaurus vs Stegosaurus: Speed and Movement

Giganotosaurus is much faster than a Stegosaurus. It’s believed that the Giganotosaurus could reach speeds of 31 mph, faster than a T-Rex even though the dinosaurs were somewhat similar to one another. However, T-Rex had bulkier legs that probably slowed it down and made its gait less capable of producing a high speed.

Stegosaurus was very slow. This animal only reached speeds of about 4.3 mph. A human being will often walk at a speed of 3 mph, so that shows just how slow this dinosaur would move.

Giganotosaurus has the speed advantage.

Giganotosaurus vs Stegosaurus: Defenses

Stegosaurus had some interesting defensive capabilities, but they are poorly understood. For example, the dermal plates that rose from its back may have been defensive, or they could have helped with thermoregulation.

Either way, they may have staved off attacks from above, which would have helped against Giganotosaurus. The size of the Stegosaurus, along with its strong bones, would also help with defense.

Giganotosaurus had tremendous speed, a large size, and good senses as a predator to help it stay safe from attacks. However, this dinosaur may have been an apex predator, so it’s doubtful that it had to worry about most attacks.

Stegosaurus has the defensive advantage in this fight.

Giganotosaurus vs Stegosaurus: Offensive Capabilities

The Giganotosaurus was a highly effective predator that exhibited many powerful offensive capabilities. The dinosaur had a 6,000 PSI bite power, over 70 teeth that measured 8 inches long, sharp claws, and the ability to charge and knock over prey. Although this dinosaur’s bite wasn’t as fierce as the T-Rex’s, it still had plenty of power to inflict devastating wounds on foes.

Stegosaurus may have been an herbivore, but it still had a way of attacking. The end of the Stegosaurus’s tail had four long spikes jutting out of it. Although we don’t know if they were arranged horizontally, vertically, or both, these 2-3ft spikes could inflict serious damage on other dinosaurs if the dinosaur swung its tail.

However, the Stegosaurus wasn’t a fast animal, and its tail wasn’t so long that it would act like a flail. It could do some damage, but the extent of that damage would depend on many factors. Nevertheless, this tail provided a measure of protection against enemies.

Giganotosaurus has the offensive advantage.

Giganotosaurus vs Stegosaurus: Predatory Behavior

Stegosaurus was an herbivore that probably spent a lot of the day grazing to support its massive body. However, Giganotosaurus is believed to be an apex predator that hunted sauropods. Some scientists categorize them as solo hunters, and others think they were pack hunters.  

Either way, their mix of amazing speed, physical power, and amazingly potent bites probably made the Giganotosaurus hard to fend off.  

Giganotosaurus has the advantage in predatory behaviors.

Who Would Win in a Fight Between a Giganotosaurus and a Stegosaurus?

Giganotosaurus

The Giganotosaurus would easily kill the slow, relatively dumb Stegosaurus.

©racksuz/Shutterstock.com

A Giganotosaurus would win a fight against a Stegosaurus because it was often larger, faster, and deadlier than the herbivore. While the Giganotosaurus had keen hunting powers, the Stegosaurus was among the slower, dumber dinosaurs that ever walked the earth.

The speed of the Giganotosaurus meant that it would probably chase down and land a deadly bite on the Stegosaurus before it knew what was happening. Even if the Stegosaurus’s dermal plates were entirely defensive in nature, the Giganotosaurus would be capable of using its foot claws to inflict damage on the herbivore or using its head to topple the Stegosaurus.

Meanwhile, the Stegosaurus would have a very small chance of killing the Giganotosaurus. Even if we categorized a win as the herbivore getting away from the fight, it’s nearly an impossible task. Sure, it could slam its tail into the legs of the Giganotosaurus or perhaps the lower body, but the predator is still going to be breathing down its neck and angered by the injury.

Unless the Stegosaurus disabled the Giganotosaurus, it would not have a chance at survival. The Stegosaurus isn’t winning this fight in the vast majority of cases.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © racksuz/Shutterstock.com


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About the Author

Kyle Glatz is a writer at A-Z-Animals where his primary focus is on geography and mammals. Kyle has been writing for researching and writing about animals and numerous other topics for 10 years, and he holds a Bachelor's Degree in English and Education from Rowan University. A resident of New Jersey, Kyle enjoys reading, writing, and playing video games.

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