Temporal range: Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian),[1]71–69 Ma
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Mounted skeletal cast at Chlupáč Museum in Prague
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Clade:
Dinosauria
Clade:
Saurischia
Clade:
Theropoda
Family:
†Abelisauridae
Clade:
†Furileusauria
Tribe:
†Carnotaurini
Genus:
†Carnotaurus Bonaparte, 1985
Species:
†C. sastrei
Binomial name
†Carnotaurus sastrei
Bonaparte, 1985
Carnotaurus (/ˌkɑːrnoʊˈtɔːrəs/; lit.'meat bull') is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous period, probably sometime between 71 and 69 million years ago. The only species is Carnotaurus sastrei. Known from a single well-preserved skeleton, it is one of the best-understood theropods from the Southern Hemisphere. The skeleton, found in 1984, was uncovered in the Chubut Province of Argentina from rocks of the La Colonia Formation. Carnotaurus is a derived member of the Abelisauridae, a group of large theropods that occupied the large predatorial niche in the southern landmasses of Gondwana during the late Cretaceous. Within the Abelisauridae, the genus is often considered a member of the Brachyrostra, a clade of short-snouted forms restricted to South America.
Carnotaurus was a lightly built, bipedal predator, measuring 7.5 to 8 m (24.6 to 26.2 ft) in length and weighing 1.3–2.1 metric tons (1.4–2.3 short tons; 1.3–2.1 long tons). As a theropod, Carnotaurus was highly specialized and distinctive. It had thick horns above the eyes, a feature unseen in all other carnivorous dinosaurs, and a very deep skull sitting on a muscular neck. Carnotaurus was further characterized by small, vestigial forelimbs and long, slender hind limbs. The skeleton is preserved with extensive skin impressions, showing a mosaic of small, non-overlapping scales approximately 5 mm in diameter. The mosaic was interrupted by large bumps that lined the sides of the animal, and there are no hints of feathers.
The distinctive horns and the muscular neck may have been used in fighting conspecifics. According to separate studies, rivaling individuals may have combated each other with quick head blows, by slow pushes with the upper sides of their skulls, or by ramming each other head-on, using their horns as shock absorbers. The feeding habits of Carnotaurus remain unclear: some studies suggested the animal was able to hunt down very large prey such as sauropods, while other studies found it preyed mainly on relatively small animals. Its brain cavity suggests an acute sense of smell, while hearing and sight were less well developed. Carnotaurus was probably well adapted for running and was possibly one of the fastest large theropods.
^Cite error: The named reference Cerroni2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
note presenting Carnotaurus sastrei as a new genus and species and briefly describing the skull and lower jaw. The generic name Carnotaurus is derived from...
from the Late Cretaceous period of Patagonia. It includes the dinosaurs Carnotaurus sastrei; the type species, Aucasaurus garridoi, and Abelisaurus comahuensis...
and Carnotaurus are united in Carnotaurini. Complete skeletons have been described only for the most advanced abelisaurids (such as Carnotaurus and Aucasaurus)...
skull, ignoring that limb bone comparisons clearly show Carnotaurus was larger, and thus Carnotaurus was larger than Ekrixinatosaurus but with a proportionally...
generally moderately large in size, with some exceptions like the larger Carnotaurus and the significantly smaller noasaurs. The major defining characteristics...
Abelisauridae. It includes the dinosaurs Aucasaurus (from Argentina), Carnotaurus (from Argentina). The group was first proposed by American paleontologist...
cores, or osteoderms. This type of skin is best known in the ceratosaur Carnotaurus, which has been preserved with extensive skin impressions. The coelurosaur...
Campanian stage) of the Anacleto Formation. It was smaller than the related Carnotaurus, although more derived in some ways, such as its extremely reduced arms...
(voiced by Brian Dobson) is another white and black-colored Carnotaurus sastroi – half Carnotaurus sastrei and half long reach excavator – and D-Structs's...
These prehistoric animals include a giant Ceratosaurus, raptorlike Carnotaurus, building-climbing Spinosaurus, and brutal Pteranodon. The final battle...
indicate that some adults could have been similar in size to its relative Carnotaurus, possibly exceeding 8 m (26 ft) in length. The skull of Majungasaurus...
downward from the bottom rim of the antorbital fenestra, which is unlike Carnotaurus, Ekrixinatosaurus, Majungasaurus, and Skorpiovenator but similar to Rugops...
Triceratops named Chomp, while Zoe has a Parasaurolophus. Rex Owen controls a Carnotaurus named Ace. The three are opposed by the Alpha Gang, a group from 2126...
This formation is best known for fossils of the abelisaurid theropod Carnotaurus, as well as fossils of other reptiles including the turtle Patagoniaemys...
Carnoraptor - This dinosaur was made from the DNA of a Pyroraptor and a Carnotaurus. It debuted in Lego Jurassic World: The Indominus Escape (where it was...
2012. Cerroni, M. A.; Canale, J. I.; Novas, F. E. (2020). "The skull of Carnotaurus sastrei Bonaparte 1985 revisited: insights from craniofacial bones, palate...
of most abelisaurid theropods. It is craniocaudally short, similar to Carnotaurus, and is shorter and deeper than the skulls of Abelisaurus and Majungasaurus...
reduced manual phalanges. Carnotaurus and Majungasaurus are closely related but distinguish by several skeletal features. Carnotaurus has eleven dorsal vertebrae...
vertebrae significantly smaller in size than those of Pycnonemosaurus, Carnotaurus and Ekrixinatosaurus. Rajasaurus closely resembled the Madagascan abelisaurid...
average, but did not include Therrien and Henderson's 2007 estimates of Carnotaurus and Giganotosaurus, considering them outliers. This resulted in a body...
Sulcusuchus. Dinosaur fossils, including those of the abelisaurid theropod Carnotaurus and titanosaurian sauropod Titanomachya, as well as remains of indeterminate...
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