Look up · dinosaur 1330 of 1,425
sharp-clawed runner
Vitosaura
Say it like this: “VEE-toe-SOR-uh”
Vitosaura colozacani
Vitosaura 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
- 2025 · Velandia, H. J.; Ezcurra, M. D.; Hechenleitner, E. M.; Basilici, G.; Martinelli, A. G.; Fiorelli, L. E.
- Hip height
- Not established
- Length
- Not established
- Weight
- Not established
- Found in
- Argentina · Los Llanos
- Food and walking
- Carnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Abelisauridae
The story in short
Vitosaura was formally named in 2025 by H. J. Velandia and colleagues. The name honors a person tied to the fossil or its study.
Fossils referred to Vitosaura date to the Late Cretaceous (Campanian), roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago. Finds come from Argentina, including the Los Llanos Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.
The fossils of Vitosaura are too incomplete for a responsible length, hip height, or weight, so those fields are left blank on purpose.
On the family tree it sits in Abelisauridae, among the theropod dinosaurs.
Close relatives
Abelisaurus
Abelisaurus comahuensis
Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
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