Abelisaurus is a genus of abelisaurid theropod dinosaur during the Late Cretaceous period (Campanian) of what is now South America. It was a bipedal carnivore that probably reached 7 to 9 meters (25 to 30 feet) in length, although it is known from only one partial skull. It was a distant relative of Ceratosaurus and a cousin to Carnotaurus.
Facts[]
The generic name recognizes Roberto Abel as the discoverer of the specimen, and also the former director of the provincial Museum of Cipolletti in Argentina, where the specimen is housed. It also incorporates the Greek σαυρος/sauros, meaning 'lizard'. There is one named species, A. comahuensis, which honors the Comahue region of Argentina, where the fossil was found. Both genus and species were named and described by Argentine paleontologists Jose Bonaparte and Fernando Novas in 1985, who placed it in the newly created family Abelisauridae.
In Walking with... Series[]
Walking with Dinosaurs: Inside Their World[]
Abelisaurus is one the viewable dinosaurs in this app.
Gallery[]
