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sharp-clawed runner
Abelisaurus
Say it like this: “ah-BEL-i-SAWR-us”
Abelisaurus comahuensis
Abelisaurus ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Argentina.
- When
- Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
- Named in
- 1985 · Bonaparte, J. F.; Novas, F. E.
- Hip height
- 2.3 m · 8 ft
- Length
- 9 m · 30 ft
- Weight
- 1.6–3 tonnes
- Found in
- Argentina · Allen
- Food and walking
- Carnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Abelisauridae
The story in short
Abelisaurus was formally named in 1985 by J. F. Bonaparte and F. E. Novas. The name honors a person tied to the fossil or its study.
Fossils referred to Abelisaurus date to the Late Cretaceous (Campanian), roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago. Finds come from Argentina, including the Allen Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Abelisaurus at a length near 9 m, hips about 2.3 m high, and a body mass around 1.6–3 tonnes.
On the family tree it sits in Abelisauridae, among the theropod dinosaurs.
Close relatives
Chenanisaurus
Chenanisaurus barbaricus
Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago
Dryptosauroides
Dryptosauroides grandis
Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago
Eoabelisaurus
Eoabelisaurus mefi
Middle Jurassic (Aalenian · Bajocian) · roughly 174.7 to 168.2 million years ago