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Abelisaurus
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 80Ma
Abelisaurus skull.jpg
Reconstruction of the Abelisaurus skull with original bones of the holotype. Scale = 10 cm
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family: Abelisauridae
Clade: Brachyrostra
Tribe: Carnotaurini
Genus: Abelisaurus
Bonaparte & Novas, 1985
Type species
Abelisaurus comahuensis
Bonaparte & Novas, 1985
Synonyms

?Aucasaurus Coria, Chippe and Dingus, 2002

Abelisaurus was a type of meat-eating dinosaur called a theropod. It lived in South America during the Upper Cretaceous period, about 80 million years ago. There is only one known species, called Abelisaurus comahuensis.

Abelisaurus was the first dinosaur of its kind to be found. This is why the whole group of dinosaurs, the Abelisauridae, is named after it. Even though it's important, scientists still don't know a lot about Abelisaurus.

About Abelisaurus

The first and only fossils of Abelisaurus were found in Argentina. Scientists discovered several bones from its skull. They carefully put these bones back together in a lab to create a full skull.

What it Looked Like

The skull of Abelisaurus is similar to other dinosaurs in its family. It was short and wide when you looked at it from the front. But it was also quite tall. This shape is common for many abelisaurid dinosaurs.

What it Ate

Abelisaurus was a predator, meaning it hunted other animals for food. It probably hunted large plant-eating dinosaurs called sauropods. An example of a sauropod it might have hunted is Amargasaurus. Abelisaurus might have hunted in groups, like a pack. It could also have hunted smaller plant-eating dinosaurs, such as the small ornithopod Gasparinisaura.


Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Abelisaurus comahuensis para niños

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