Rahiolisaurus

Say it like this: “RA-hee-O-lee-SOR-us”

Rahiolisaurus gujaratensis

Rahiolisaurus ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in India.

Quiz me on Rahiolisaurus

When: Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago
Named in: 2010 · Novas, F. E.; Chatterjee, S.; Rudra, D. K.; Datta, P. M.
Hip height: 2 m · 7 ft
Length: 6.2–8 m · 20–26 ft
Weight: 2 tonnes
Found in: India · Lameta
Food and walking: Carnivore · Two legs
Kind: sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
Family branch: Majungasaurinae

The story in short

Rahiolisaurus was formally named in 2010 by F. E. Novas and colleagues. The name honors a person tied to the fossil or its study.

It lived in the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago. Finds come from India, including the Lameta Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.

Published estimates put Rahiolisaurus at a length near 6.2–8 m, hips about 2 m high, and a body mass around 2 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

Majungasaurus

Majungasaurus crenatissimus

Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago