Genusaurus

Say it: JEN-yoo-SOR-us

Name means: “knee lizard”1

Ate: MeatOther meat-eatersEarly Cretaceous

Genusaurus was a small, meat-eating dinosaur that lived in what is now France about 106 million years ago. It had a big bump on its shinbone, which is why its name means 'knee lizard'. This dinosaur was a primitive cousin of bigger predators like Carnotaurus.1 3 2

Lived

110 to 106 million years ago3

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Bevons, near Sisteron, Alpes de Haute-Provence, France1 2

Food

Meat3

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

cool stuff

Fun facts

Genusaurus is a ceratosaur, a group of primitive carnivorous dinosaurs that were once thought to have died out in the Jurassic. This fossil shows they survived into the Early Cretaceous.2

Its shinbone (tibia) had an extremely large cnemial crest, a bony bump that stuck out in front. That's why it was named 'knee lizard'.1 2

The only known skeleton includes parts of the hip, thigh, shin, foot bones, and several back vertebrae. No skull has been found.2

The bones were found in marine rocks, mixed with oyster shells and shark teeth. The dinosaur probably died on land and its body washed into the sea.2

The environment at the time was warm and humid, with wooded countryside and conifer trees.2

Genusaurus was a small dinosaur, but scientists don't know its exact size because only a partial skeleton has been found.2

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

?How big was Genusaurus?

It was about 3 to 3.6 metres (10 to 12 feet) long and weighed between 35 and 50 kilograms (77 to 110 pounds).1

?What did Genusaurus eat?

Genusaurus was a meat-eater (carnivore). It probably hunted small animals or scavenged.1

?When did Genusaurus live?

It lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 112 to 100 million years ago.1

?Why is it called 'knee lizard'?

Its name means 'knee lizard' because it had a very large bony bump (the cnemial crest) on its shinbone, near the knee.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Genusaurus
Named by: Accarie et al. 19953
Group: Other meat-eaters
Family / clade: Abelisauridae3
Classification: Theropoda > Ceratosauria > Abelisauridae3
Age of the rocks: 110 to 106 million years (Albian)3
Rock formations: Marnes bleues3
Countries: France3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: The first bones were found in 1984 by geologists Hugues Accarie, Bernard Beaudoin, and Gérard Friès while mapping rocks near Sisteron, France. The dinosaur was named and described in 1995 by Accarie and colleagues.2 1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure exactly how Genusaurus is related to other ceratosaurs. Some features on its leg bones are also seen in more advanced theropods like Allosaurus, so its place in the family tree is still debated.2

Where the facts come from

Genusaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Accarie et al. 1995 - Genusaurus sisteronis (naturalhistory.si.edu)
Genusaurus 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.

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