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Carnotaurus

Say it: kar-no-TORE-us

Name means: “meat-eating bull”1

Ate: MeatMeat-eating dinosLate Cretaceous

Carnotaurus was a meat-eating dinosaur with two thick horns above its eyes, just like a bull. It had very tiny arms and a strong, muscular neck. This dinosaur lived in South America near the end of the age of dinosaurs.1 2

Lived

72 to 66 million years ago5

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Chubut Province, Argentina1 2

Food

Meat1 2

Length

7.5 to 8 m1 2

Weight

1.3 tonnes to 2.1 tonnes1

Height

2.5 to 3 m3

hip height

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

hip height

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 1.5 cars

as long as 8 dogs nose to tailas long as 44 bananas end to endas heavy as 70 big dogsas heavy as 420 watermelonsas tall as 1.5 doors stacked up

How big was Carnotaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Carnotaurus is the only meat-eating dinosaur known to have two thick horns on its head. The name means 'meat-eating bull' because of these horns.1

Its arms were even smaller than those of Tyrannosaurus rex. The forelimbs were very short and probably useless for grabbing prey.1

Scientists have found skin impressions from Carnotaurus. The skin was covered with small, bumpy scales, and there is no evidence of feathers.1 2

Carnotaurus had a very flexible lower jaw, similar to a snake. It could open its mouth wide and maybe swallow small animals whole.1 2

Some studies say Carnotaurus had a bite as strong as an American alligator, which has one of the strongest bites of any living animal.1 2

Only one complete skeleton of Carnotaurus has ever been found. It is one of the best-known theropod dinosaurs from the Southern Hemisphere.1

AI-made picture of Carnotaurus — An AI-made picture of how Carnotaurus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Carnotaurus

?How big was Carnotaurus?

Carnotaurus was about 7.5 to 8 metres (24.6 to 26.2 feet) long and weighed between 1.3 and 2.1 tonnes (1.4 to 2.3 short tons).1 2

?Did Carnotaurus have feathers?

No, scientists have found lots of skin impressions showing it had scales, and no evidence of feathers has ever been found.2 1

?What did Carnotaurus eat?

Carnotaurus was a meat-eater. Some studies think it hunted large prey like sauropods, while others think it ate smaller animals.1 2

?How fast could Carnotaurus run?

Nobody knows for sure, but its long, slender hind legs suggest it could run quickly. No exact speed has been calculated from the sources.1

?Was Carnotaurus bigger than T. rex?

No, Carnotaurus was smaller. T. rex could grow over 12 metres long, while Carnotaurus was about 8 metres long.2

?Why did Carnotaurus have horns?

The two thick horns above its eyes were probably used for fighting other Carnotaurus, maybe by head-butting or pushing.1 4

?How strong was Carnotaurus' bite?

Scientists disagree. Some say its bite was as strong as an American alligator's, while others think it was weaker but very fast.2 1

?When did Carnotaurus live?

Carnotaurus lived during the Late Cretaceous period, between 69 and 66 million years ago.2 1

?Where was Carnotaurus found?

Its only skeleton was found in Chubut Province, Argentina, in rocks of the La Colonia Formation.1 2

?Could Carnotaurus swim?

The sources do not say whether Carnotaurus could swim, so nobody knows for sure.1 2

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Myth buster

Myth: Carnotaurus had feathers like some other dinosaurs.

Truth: No feathers have ever been found on Carnotaurus. Its skin impressions show only scales, so scientists think it was not feathered.1 2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Carnotaurus
Named by: Bonaparte 19855
Group: Meat-eating dinos
Family / clade: Abelisauridae5
Classification: Theropoda > Ceratosauria > Abelisauridae5
Age of the rocks: 72 to 66 million years (Maastrichtian)5
Rock formations: La Colonia5
Countries: Argentina5
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database5
Discovery: The only skeleton of Carnotaurus was found in 1984 on a farm in Chubut, Argentina. It was named by paleontologist José Bonaparte in 1985.1 5
Still debated: Scientists still debate what Carnotaurus ate. Some think it hunted large sauropods, while others believe it fed mainly on small animals.1 2

Where the facts come from

Carnotaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Carnotaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Carnotaurus Size: How Big Was This Horned Dinosaur? (extinctatlas.org)
The Weird Dinosaurs Saga: Carnotaurus - Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum (dinomuseum.ca)
Carnotaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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