Dino Wiki / All dinos / Other meat-eaters

Dino card No. 0203 of 2,027

Australovenator

Say it: oss-TRAH-lo-ven-ay-tor

Name means: “southern hunter”1

Ate: MeatOther meat-eatersEarly Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous

Australovenator was a fast, meat-eating dinosaur that lived in Australia during the Late Cretaceous. It had long arms with big claws and was one of the most complete predatory dinosaurs found on that continent. Scientists sometimes call it the 'cheetah of its time' because it could run fast.1 2

Lived

126 to 90 million years ago5

Early Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Queensland, Australia, in the Winton Formation1 2

Food

Meat1 2

Length

6 m1 2

Weight

310 kg to 500 kg1 2

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

as long as 3 bicycles in a rowas long as 33 bananas end to endas heavy as 17 big dogsas heavy as 100 watermelons

How big was Australovenator compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Australovenator is the most complete predatory dinosaur ever found in Australia.2

Its fossils were discovered mixed with the bones of a sauropod dinosaur called Diamantinasaurus.1

It had long, S-shaped upper arm bones and huge curved claws on its hands.1

Scientists think Australovenator could run at speeds up to 48 km/h (30 mph).2

Its lower jaw was lightly built and held 19 teeth on each side.1

Australovenator lived about 95 million years ago during the Cenomanian stage of the Cretaceous.1

Some fragmentary fossils from the Eumeralla and Wonthaggi Formations may also belong to Australovenator.1 3

AI-made picture of Australovenator — An AI-made picture of how Australovenator 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 Australovenator

?How big was Australovenator?

Australovenator was about 6 metres long and weighed between 310 and 500 kilograms.1

?What did Australovenator eat?

Australovenator was a meat-eater that likely hunted other dinosaurs and animals. Its fossils were found with bones of sauropods, crocodiles, turtles, and fish.4

?How fast could Australovenator run?

Scientists think Australovenator could run up to 48 km/h, which is why it is sometimes called the cheetah of its time.1

?Did Australovenator have feathers?

The sources do not mention feathers on Australovenator. It is not known for sure, but many theropod dinosaurs had feathers, so it is possible.1

?When did Australovenator live?

Australovenator lived about 95 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period, in the Cenomanian stage.1

?Where was Australovenator found?

Its fossils were discovered in the Winton Formation in Queensland, Australia, at a site called the 'Matilda Site' near Elderslie Station.1

?Is Australovenator a dinosaur?

Yes, Australovenator is a dinosaur. It is a theropod dinosaur, a group of meat-eating dinosaurs that walked on two legs.1

?How many teeth did Australovenator have?

Australovenator had 19 teeth on each side of its lower jaw, for a total of at least 38 teeth in its lower jaws. It also had more teeth in its upper jaw, but the skull is not known.1

Ask Rex about Australovenator

Rex only answers questions about this page. 3 questions a day.

Rex is an AI and can make mistakes. He runs on servers in the EU and questions are never saved. Never type your name or other personal things.

For dino experts

Scientific name: Australovenator
Named by: Hocknull et al. 20095
Group: Other meat-eaters
Family / clade: Megaraptoridae5
Classification: Theropoda > Megaraptora5
Age of the rocks: 126 to 90 million years (Barremian / Turonian)5
Rock formations: Winton, "Wonthaggi", Eumeralla5
Countries: Australia5
Fossil records: 4 in the Paleobiology Database5
Discovery: Australovenator was named and described by Australian paleontologist Scott Hocknull and his team in 2009. The fossils were found in 2006 at Elderslie Station in Queensland, Australia.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure whether Australovenator was more closely related to dinosaurs like Fukuiraptor or to other megaraptorids.2

Where the facts come from

Australovenator (en.wikipedia.org)
Australovenator (en.wikipedia.org)
Theropod Fauna from Southern Australia Indicates High Polar Diversity and Climate-Driven Dinosaur Provinciality (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Australovenator | Western Australian Museum (museum.wa.gov.au)
Australovenator in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Rex is hungry! Dino Wiki is a dad's project for his dino-loving son, free with no ads. Grown-ups can feed Rex a snack to help keep it online.Feed Rex