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sharp-clawed runner
Masiakasaurus
Say it like this: “mah-SHEE-ah-kah-SAWR-us”
Masiakasaurus knopfleri
Masiakasaurus 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
- 2001 · Sampson, S. D.; Carrano, M. T.; Forster, C. A.
- Hip height
- Not established
- Length
- 1.8–2.1 m · 6–7 ft
- Weight
- 20 kg · 44 lb
- Found in
- Madagascar · Maevarano
- Food and walking
- Carnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Noasaurinae
The story in short
Masiakasaurus was formally named in 2001 by S. D. Sampson and colleagues.
Fossils referred to Masiakasaurus 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 Masiakasaurus at a length near 1.8–2.1 m and a body mass around 20 kg.
On the family tree it sits in Noasaurinae, among the theropod dinosaurs.