Carnotaurus

Say it: kar-no-TORE-us

Name means: “meat-eating bull”1

Ate: MeatOther meat-eatersLate 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 ago3

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

Artist's life restoration of Carnotaurus — How Carnotaurus may have looked, by Fred Wierum. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Scientists still argue about colours and details.

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

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

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 19853
Group: Other meat-eaters
Family / clade: Abelisauridae3
Classification: Theropoda > Ceratosauria > Abelisauridae3
Age of the rocks: 72 to 66 million years (Maastrichtian)3
Rock formations: La Colonia3
Countries: Argentina3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
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 3
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 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.