Carnotaurus facts for kids
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| Carnotaurus sastrei. | |
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Carnotaurus
Bonaparte, 1985
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Carnotaurus was a fierce meat-eating dinosaur that lived about 70 million years ago. Its name means "meat-eating bull," which fits because it had unique horns above its eyes! This large theropod dinosaur roamed South America during the Upper Cretaceous period.
Even though scientists have only found one very well-preserved skeleton, it has taught us a lot. This amazing skeleton was discovered in 1984 in the Chubut Province of Argentina. Carnotaurus belongs to a group of big theropods called Abelisauridae. These dinosaurs were the main predators in the southern supercontinent of Gondwana during the late Cretaceous. They were like the Tyrannosaurus of the southern lands.
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What Was Carnotaurus Like?
Carnotaurus was a fast, two-legged predator. It could grow to be about 7.5 to 9 meters (25 to 30 feet) long. That's about the length of a school bus! It weighed at least 1.35 metric tons (about 3,000 pounds).
This dinosaur had some very special features:
- Horns: It had thick, bony horns right above its eyes. No other meat-eating dinosaur had horns like these!
- Strong Neck: Its skull was very deep and sat on a super muscular neck.
- Tiny Arms: Its front limbs were incredibly small, even smaller than those of Tyrannosaurus. They were almost like tiny, useless arms.
Scientists also found skin impressions from Carnotaurus. These showed that its skin was covered in small, round scales, like a mosaic. There were also larger bumps along its sides. We know for sure that Carnotaurus did not have feathers.
How Did Carnotaurus Use Its Horns?
The horns and strong neck of Carnotaurus might have been used for fighting other Carnotaurus dinosaurs. They might have bumped heads quickly, pushed each other slowly, or even rammed each other head-on. The horns could have acted like shock absorbers during these fights.
What Did Carnotaurus Eat?
Scientists are still figuring out what Carnotaurus liked to eat. Some believe it could hunt very large prey, like huge plant-eating dinosaurs called sauropods. Others think it mostly hunted smaller animals. One thing is clear: Carnotaurus was built for speed. It was probably one of the fastest large theropods around!
Where Did Carnotaurus Live?
Carnotaurus lived in an area with estuaries (where rivers meet the sea), tidal flats, or coastal plains. The weather changed with the seasons, having both dry and humid periods.
Many other animals lived alongside Carnotaurus. These included lungfish, turtles, crocodiles, plesiosaurs, other dinosaurs, lizards, snakes, and even early mammals. Scientists have found at least five different types of turtles from this time and place! In 2011, a new type of bird was also discovered in the same area.
Carnotaurus in Movies and Books
Carnotaurus has appeared in popular media, making it famous:
- Dinosaur (2000): Two Carnotaurus dinosaurs were shown fighting with other dinosaurs like Iguanodon and Pachyrhinosaurus.
- Jurassic World 2: Fallen Kingdom (2018): A Carnotaurus fights a Sinoceratops and is later taken down by "Rexy," the famous T-Rex. It also escapes from "Lockwood Manor" later in the movie.
- The Lost World (1995): This dinosaur is also featured in Michael Crichton’s book.
Images for kids
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A diagram showing the size of Carnotaurus compared to a human.
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Different views of a Carnotaurus skull, showing details of its skin.
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A realistic drawing of what Carnotaurus might have looked like.
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The sixth tail bone of the main Carnotaurus skeleton found.
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The small forelimb (arm) of Carnotaurus.
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Impressions of the skin from the tail of Carnotaurus.
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A restored model of the Carnotaurus skeleton at a museum.
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Bones of the forelimb of Carnotaurus.
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A drawing of the Carnotaurus head, showing how its soft tissues might have looked.
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A cast of a Carnotaurus skull at the Dinosaur Discovery Museum.
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Carnotaurus in its natural environment.
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See also
In Spanish: Carnotaurus sastrei para niños
