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sharp-clawed runner
Majungasaurus
Say it like this: “mah-joon-gah-sore-us”
Majungasaurus crenatissimus
Majungasaurus ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Madagascar.
- When
- Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago
- Named in
- 1955 · Lavocat, R.
- Hip height
- 1.9 m · 6 ft
- Length
- 5.6–8 m · 18–26 ft
- Weight
- 0.8–1.1 tonnes
- Found in
- Madagascar · Maevarano
- Food and walking
- Carnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Majungasaurinae
The story in short
The genus Majungasaurus dates to 1955, the year R. Lavocat described it. The name means “mahajanga lizard.”
Fossils referred to Majungasaurus date to the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago. Finds come from Madagascar, including the Maevarano Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Majungasaurus at a length near 5.6–8 m, hips about 1.9 m high, and a body mass around 0.8–1.1 tonnes.
On the family tree it sits in Majungasaurinae, among the theropod dinosaurs.
Close relatives
Arcovenator
Arcovenator escotae
Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
Indosaurus
Indosaurus matleyi
Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago
Rahiolisaurus
Rahiolisaurus gujaratensis
Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago