This mosaic was divided by thin, parallel grooves. The Aquatic dinosaur class lives in the oceans, lakes, and rivers. These researchers also noted analogies with modern Komodo dragons: the flexural strength of the lower jaw decreases towards the tip linearly, indicating that the jaws were not suited for high precision catching of small prey but for delivering slashing wounds to weaken big prey. The fingers themselves were fused and immobile, and may have lacked claws. [7][16], Carnotaurus was a large but lightly built predator. [AW] Carnotaurus therefore was the latest South American abelisaurid known. As hypothesized by Cerroni and Paulina-Carabajal, this downward-curvature, together with the large size of the bulbs, might indicate that Carnotaurus relied more on the sense of smell than other abelisaurids. Work in Progress Full Stats List. [4] The neck was nearly straight, rather than having the S-curve seen in other theropods, and also unusually wide, especially towards its base. [5] The generic name Carnotaurus is derived from the Latin carno [carnis] ("flesh") and taurus ("bull") and can be translated with "meat-eating bull", an allusion to the animal's bull-like horns. Another opening, the mandibular fenestra, was located in the lower jaw – in Carnotaurus, this opening was comparatively large. Behind the orbit were two openings, the infratemporal fenestra on the side and the supratemporal fenestra on the top of the skull. Spinosaurus is the only water dinosaur to have ever existed. [1] The back of the skull had well-developed, air-filled chambers surrounding the braincase, as in other abelisaurids. [28] By the Late Cretaceous, South America was already isolated from both Africa and North America. Dinosaurs have their limbs under their body. [27] The top of the neck's spinal column featured a double row of enlarged, upwardly directed bony processes called epipophyses, creating a smooth trough on the top of the neck vertebrae. [E] The snout was more strongly affected by deformation than the rear part of the skull, possibly due to the higher rigidity of the latter. When pressed downwards, the teeth would have projected forward, allowing Carnotaurus to spike small prey items; when the teeth were curved upwards, the now backward projecting teeth would have hindered the caught prey from escaping. [46], Mazzetta and colleagues (1998, 1999) presumed that Carnotaurus was a swift runner, arguing that the thigh bone was adapted to withstand high bending moments while running. [53] Mammals are represented by Reigitherium bunodontum, which was considered the first record of a South American docodont,[50] and Argentodites coloniensis, possibly of Multituberculata. [5][AV] Later, they were realized to pertain to the much younger La Colonia Formation,[13] dating to the Campanian and Maastrichtian stages (83.6 to 66 million years ago). Spinosaurus (meaning "spine lizard") is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in what now is North Africa during the Cenomanian to upper Turonian stages of the Late Cretaceous period, about 99 to 93.5 million years ago. The front end of the olfactory tracts and bulbs were curved downwards, a feature only shared by Indosaurus; in other abelisaurids, these structures were oriented horizontally. [25] A prominent pair of horns protruded obliquely above the eyes. In top or bottom view, the upper jaws were less U-shaped than the lower jaws, resulting in an apparent mismatch. [49], The La Colonia Formation is exposed over the southern slope of the North Patagonian Massif. This opening was formed by the nasal and premaxilla only, while in some related ceratosaurs the maxilla also contributed to this opening. [54] In 2011, the discovery of a new enantiornithine bird from the La Colonia Formation was announced. 3–5, 6–8, 9–12. The Spinosaurus was the biggest of all the carnivorous dinosaurs, even larger than a T-Rex. These streamlined beasts have been clocked at 68 miles per hour (30.4 meters per second), which, to be fair to the other fish in the sea, includes the sailfish's … The king of the dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus Rex, measured 40 feet from head to tail and weighed 7 or 8 tons—but its fellow tyrannosaur Dilong, which lived over 60 million years earlier, tipped the scales at 25 pounds, an object lesson in how plus-sized creatures tend to evolve from wee ancestors.Even more remarkably, the … [50] The most common vertebrates collected include ceratodontid lungfish, turtles, crocodiles, plesiosaurs, dinosaurs, lizards, snakes and mammals. Between the bony nostril and the orbit (eye opening) was the antorbital fenestra. [AU][47] Scientists calculate that Carnotaurus had a top speed of up to 48–56 km (30–35 mi) per hour. Just last year, scientists declared that Spinosaurus was the first dinosaur known to swim through the water, preying upon fish as it did so. Its brain cavity suggests an acute sense of smell, while hearing and sight were less well developed. Carnotaurus was a highly specialized theropod, as seen especially in characteristics of the skull, the vertebrae and the forelimbs. It was discovered only a few years after the Tyrannosaurus. Elena Duvernay/Stocktrek Images / Getty Images. [F] The holotype skeleton is displayed in the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences, Bernardino Rivadavia;[G] replicas can be seen in this and other museums around the world. These horns, formed by the frontal bones,[V] were thick and cone-shaped, internally solid, somewhat vertically flattened in cross-section, and measured 15 cm (5.9 in) in length. They significantly move at a slower speed on land (except Megalodon) and will dry out if beached or un-submerged too long. [36][37][38] A 2008 review, in contrast, suggested that Carnotaurus was not closely related to either genus, and instead proposed Ilokelesia as its sister taxon. The pineal gland, which produces hormones, might have been smaller than in other abelisaurids, as indicated by a low dural expansion – a space on top of the fore brain in which the pineal gland is thought to have been located. [15] Sculptors Stephen and Sylvia Czerkas manufactured a life-sized sculpture of Carnotaurus that was previously on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. GIANT 32 page Dinosaur Coloring Poster for classroom art. [9][5] In 1985, Bonaparte published a note presenting Carnotaurus sastrei as a new genus and species and briefly describing the skull and lower jaw. Spinosaurus. [AN][AO][28], Though relationships within the Abelisauridae are debated, Carnotaurus is consistently shown to be one of the most derived members of the family by cladistical analyses. Scott Persons and Phil Currie (2011) note that in the tail vertebrae of Carnotaurus, the caudal ribs did not protrude horizontally ("T-shaped"), but were angled against the vertical axis of the vertebrae, forming a "V". [41], Below is a cladogram published by Canale and colleagues in 2009. [42][43] Mazzetta and colleagues, in 2009, argued that the horns may have been a device for the distribution of compression forces without damage to the brain. It's bite force was four times as much as Tyrannosaurus rex-this could have crushed a 4 x 4 truck. Now, they … [22][23][42] Quick bites are more important than strong bites when capturing small prey, as shown by studies of modern-day crocodiles. Another plesiosaur is the long-necked Elasmosaurus. Another dinosaur, Ceratosaurus, could probably swim and catch … The Oldest Dinosaur. Most of them had long necks and small heads - but ranged from about 2.5metres (8 feet) to 14 metres (46 feet) long. Of all the dinosaurs, it was Spinosaurus that took to the water.This was the biggest meat eating dinosaur that we know of. Both the pelvis and hind limb were long and slender. [21] Its mass is estimated to have been 1,350 kg (1.33 long tons; 1.49 short tons),[O] 1,500 kg (1.5 long tons; 1.7 short tons),[P] 2,000 kg (2.0 long tons; 2.2 short tons),[19] 2,100 kg (2.1 long tons; 2.3 short tons)[Q], and 1,306–1,743 kg (1.285–1.715 long tons; 1.440–1.921 short tons)[24] in separate studies that used different estimation methods. Carnotaurus / ˌ k ɑːr n oʊ ˈ t ɔːr ə s / is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous period, probably sometime between 72 and 69.9 million years ago. [C][5] The skeleton belonged to an adult individual, as indicated by the fused sutures in the braincase. [17] Several notable traits that evolved within this family, including shortening of the skull and arms as well as peculiarities in the cervical and caudal vertebrae, were more pronounced in Carnotaurus than in any other abelisaurid. They lived in the Triassic period probably like seals of today live. [1], The vertebral column consisted of ten cervical (neck), twelve dorsal, six fused sacral[AE] and an unknown number of caudal (tail) vertebrae. [AG] The forearm was only a quarter the size of the upper arm. This is non-ambush speed. This results in a reptile enzephalization quotient (a measure of intelligence) larger than that of the related Majungasaurus but smaller than in tyrannosaurids. [Y] The keyhole-like shape of the orbit was possibly related to the marked skull shortening, and is also found in related short-snouted abelisaurids. Within these first dinosaurs, you will find well-known names like the Brachiosaurus, Brontosaurus, and the Apatosaurus (formerly the Brontosaurus). Dinosaurs have their limbs under their body. This muscle, called the caudofemoralis, attaches to the fourth trochanter, a prominent ridge on the thigh bone, and pulls the thigh bone backwards when contracted. [24], The olfactory bulbs, which housed the sense of smell, were large, while the optic lobes, which were responsible for sight, were relatively small. The ability of an animal's leg to withstand those forces limits its top speed. It probably ate sharks and large fish.Spinosaurus is the only dinosaur we know that spent time living in the water. [48], In dinosaurs, the most important locomotor muscle was located in the tail. [50] The climate would have been seasonal with both dry and humid periods. 188–189 and 202 in Carrano and Sampson (2008), Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, "Butch tail made Carnotaurus a champion dinosaur sprinter", "A new Abelisauridae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from northwest Patagonia", "On the palaeobiology of the South American horned theropod, "Giants and Bizarres: Body size of some southern South American Cretaceous dinosaurs", "Novel information on the endocranial morphology of the abelisaurid theropod, 10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[32:CAOMCT]2.0.CO;2, "Carnotaurus – delving into self-parody? [24], A number of autapomorphies (distinguishing features) can be found in the skull, including the pair of horns and the very short and deep skull. The top of the snout was sculptured with numerous small holes and spikes – this texture can probably be correlated with a cornified pad (horny covering). It is estimated to be 15 metres (49 feet) long. [AL][15] There is no evidence of feathers. Saltasaurus An illustration of Saltasaurus , a medium-sized titanosaur measuring 12.2 to 12.8 metres (about 40 to 42 feet) in length. [AA][1] The teeth had been described as being long and slender,[9] as opposed to the very short teeth seen in other abelisaurids. [AK] Scalation was similar across different body parts with the exception of the head, which apparently showed a different, irregular pattern of scales. As a theropod, Carnotaurus was highly specialized and distinctive. But it could definitely swim (it had webbed feet) and hunt in the water. 1 on the list is the super-speedy sailfish. Its name means "Delta Runner," and analysis of its long legs indicates it lived up to this title. [22] Mazzetta and colleagues also found that the skull was able to withstand forces that appear when tugging on large prey items. [1] As in all abelisaurids, the frontal bone (on the skull roof between the eyes) was excluded from the orbit. sea reptiles (like lizards and crocodiles), have limbs that stick out from the side. [10] The specific name sastrei honors Angel Sastre, the owner of the ranch where the skeleton was found. [11] A comprehensive description of the whole skeleton followed in 1990. [AH] The largest patch of skin corresponds to the anterior part of the tail. [13][14] It was not until the 21st century that similar well-preserved abelisaurids were described, including Aucasaurus, Majungasaurus and Skorpiovenator, allowing scientists to re-evaluate certain aspects of the anatomy of Carnotaurus. There are about a dozen different species but the most well known of them is the Nothosaurus. [1], The skeleton was collected on a farm named "Pocho Sastre" near Bajada Moreno in the Telsen Department of Chubut Province, Argentina. This indicates that the sense of smell might have been better developed than the sense of sight, while the opposite is the case in modern birds. [22], Analyses of the jaw structure of Carnotaurus by Mazzetta and colleagues, in 1998, 2004, and 2009, suggest that the animal was capable of quick bites, but not strong ones. Another dinosaur, Ceratosaurus, could probably swim and catch aquatic prey, such as fish and crocodiles. [T][U] The snout was moderately broad, not as tapering as seen in more basal theropods like Ceratosaurus, and the jaws were curved upwards. Carnotaurus is the only known non-avian theropod from which a basihyal is known. [AI] Originally, the right side of the skull also was covered with large patches of skin—this was not recognized when the skull was prepared, and these patches were accidentally destroyed. The feeding habits of Carnotaurus remain unclear: some studies suggested the animal was able to hunt down very large prey such as sauropods, while other studies found it preyed mainly on relatively small animals. There is currently only a si… Pliosaurus (a.k.a Predator X) was a pliosaurid plesiosaur from Late Jurassic Europe. [42] In 2009, Mazzetta and colleagues estimated a bite force of around 3,341 newtons. The antorbital fenestra was bounded by a larger depression, the antorbital fossa, which was formed by recessed parts of the maxilla in front and the lacrimal behind. All stats are elder. [12] For years, it was by far the best-understood member of its family, and also the best-understood theropod from the Southern Hemisphere. It was about 4 metres (13 ft), with long, webbed toes and it may have had a fin on its tail. Let’s take a look at 10 fearsomely biggest water dinosaurs and sea monsters ever discovered in human history and prehistory. [50] Most vertebrate fossils, including Carnotaurus, come from the formation's middle section (called the middle facies association). The running adaptations of Carnotaurus would have been better than those of a human, although not nearly as good as those of an ostrich. For more about Dinosaurs: Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus) - Giant plant eater. [AQ] Juan Canale and colleagues, in 2009, erected the new clade Brachyrostra to include Carnotaurus but not Majungasaurus; this classification has been followed by a number of studies since. Spinosaurus was not the only large creature living in water! Other proposed autapomorphies include a deep and long, air-filled excavation in the quadrate and an elongated depression on the pterygoid of the palate. [9] Gerardo Mazzetta and colleagues (1998) suggested that Carnotaurus used its horns in a way similar to rams. These features suggest that the upper jaw was used like a serrated club to inflict wounds; big sauropods would have been weakened by repeated attacks. [D] In view of the significance of these impressions, a second expedition was started to reinvestigate the original excavation site, leading to the recovery of several additional skin patches. [AT], Other studies suggest that rivaling Carnotaurus did not deliver rapid head blows, but pushed slowly against each other with the upper sides of their skulls. ", "The cervical vertebrae of the Late Cretaceous abelisaurid dinosaur Carnotaurus sastrei", "Dinosaur Speed Demon: The caudal musculature of, 10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0460:ANCROC]2.0.CO;2, "An abelisauroid dinosaur with a non-atrophied manus from the Late Cretaceous Pari Aike Formation of southern Patagonia", "Ceratosaur palaeobiology: new insights on evolution and ecology of the southern rulers", "New dinosaurs link southern landmasses in the Mid-Cretaceous", "Extreme ontogenetic changes in a ceratosaurian theropod", "Brontosaur killers: Late Jurassic allosaurids as sabre-tooth cat analogues", "A highly derived docodont from the Patagonian Late Cretaceous: evolutionary implications for Gondwanan mammals", "A new turtle from the La Colonia Formation (Campanian–Maastrichtian), Patagonia, Argentina, with remarks on the evolution of the vertebral column in turtles", "New record of snakes from the Cretaceous of Patagonia (Argentina)", "First ?cimolodontan multi−tuberculate mammal from South America", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carnotaurus&oldid=1006456171, Late Cretaceous dinosaurs of South America, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Articles with Spanish-language sources (es), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Mounted skeletal cast at Chlupáč Museum in, This page was last edited on 13 February 2021, at 00:09. Carnotaurus was further characterized by small, vestigial forelimbs and long, slender hind limbs. Spinosaurus fossils from Morocco gave paleontologists a huge surprise: This dinosaur was adapted to swim in rivers as well as waddle on land. Carnotaurus is a derived member of the Abelisauridae, a group of large theropods that occupied the large predatorial niche in the southern landmasses of Gondwana during the late Cretaceous. This sculpture, ordered by the museum during the mid-1980s, is probably the first life restoration of a theropod showing accurate skin. [7] Unusually, it is preserved with extensive skin impressions. The Fastest Running Dinosaur. "This dinosaur was actively pursuing prey in the water column, not just standing in shallow waters waiting for fish to swim by." To maintain tail stability in spite of reduction of these muscles, the caudal ribs bear forward projecting processes interlocking the vertebrae with each other and with the pelvis, stiffening the tail. It probably ate sharks and large fish. [3] It was the eighth expedition within the project named "Jurassic and Cretaceous Terrestrial Vertebrates of South America", which started in 1976 and was sponsored by the National Geographic Society. [52] Turtles are represented by at least five taxa, four from Chelidae (Pleurodira) and one from Meiolaniidae (Cryptodira). [42], This interpretation was questioned by François Therrien and colleagues (2005), who found that the biting force of Carnotaurus was twice that of the American alligator, which may have the strongest bite of any living tetrapod. The lower front corner of the antorbital fossa contained a smaller opening, the promaxillary fenestra, which led into an air-filled cavity within the maxilla. Spinosaurus is the only dinosaur we know that spent time living in the water. [50] This part likely represents the deposits of an environment of estuaries, tidal flats or coastal plains. As in all abelisaurids, this depression was small in Carnotaurus. Two separate chamber systems were present, the paratympanic system, which was connected to the middle ear cavity, as well as chambers resulting from outgrowths of the air sacs of the neck. This gigantic creature has been identified as the first, swimming dinosaur. Find out how big they were, what they ate - facts, pictures and information for kids. [55], Abelisaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period, 3D reconstructions of the tail muscles, tail, and pelvic bones seen from the side and above, pp. In addition, the front part of the lower jaw was hinged, and thus able to move up and down. [1], On each side of the upper jaws there were four premaxillary and twelve maxillary teeth,[Z] while the lower jaws were equipped with fifteen dentary teeth per side. They calculated that the neck musculature was strong enough to absorb the force of two individuals colliding with their heads frontally at a speed of 5.7 m/s each. These slender bones, supporting the tongue musculature and several other muscles, are rarely found in dinosaurs because they are often cartilaginous and not connected to other bones and therefore get lost easily. This articulation, therefore, was very flexible but not necessarily weak. [1] In his 1990 description, Bonaparte noted that the lower jaw was shallow and weakly constructed, with the dentary (the foremost jaw bone) connected to the hindmost jaw bones by only two contact points; this contrasts to the robust-looking skull. [32][35][39], Carnotaurus is eponymous for two subgroups of the Abelisauridae: the Carnotaurinae and the Carnotaurini. The skeleton is preserved with extensive skin impressions, showing a mosaic of small, non-overlapping scales approximately 5 mm in diameter. Visit Julie @Kids-Dinosaurs.com's profile on Pinterest. Carnotaurus was a lightly built, bipedal predator, measuring 7.5 to 9 m (24.6 to 29.5 ft) in length and weighing at least 1.35 metric tons (1.33 long tons; 1.49 short tons). Scientist use it to describe a particular type of creature (like Spinosaurus) but this does not include sea reptiles, or the so called 'flying dinosaurs'. [J][K][19] Ekrixinatosaurus and possibly Abelisaurus, which are highly incomplete, might have been similar or larger in size. [22] Fernando Novas (2009) interpreted several skeletal features as adaptations for delivering blows with the head. [24], Originally, the rocks in which Carnotaurus was found were assigned to the upper part of the Gorro Frigio Formation, which was considered to be approximately 100 million years old (Albian or Cenomanian stage). There are also interesting dinosaurs like the Argentinosaurus which is thought to have been the largest dinosaur ever to live and the Dromiceiomimus, which may have been the fastest. It was about 4 metres (13 ft), with long, webbed toes and it may have had a fin on its tail. The flocculus, a brain lobe thought to be correlated with gaze stabilization (coordination between eyes and body), was large in Carnotaurus and other South American abelisaurids. Known from a single well-preserved skeleton, it is one of the best-understood theropods from the Southern Hemisphere. 99 Aquatic Dinosaurs? VERDICT: Bright illustrations full of movement and a bouncy rhyming text convey the basics of a swim meet in a fun way. As he noted, several adaptations of the skull—the short snout, the relatively small teeth and the strong back of the skull (occiput)—had independently evolved in Allosaurus.