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Lajasvenator

Say it: lah-has-ven-AY-tor

Name means: “Las Lajas hunter”1

Ate: MeatMeat-eating dinosEarly Cretaceous

Lajasvenator was a meat-eating dinosaur that lived about 135 million years ago in what is now Argentina. It was a medium-sized predator, not as big as its giant cousins like Giganotosaurus, but still a fierce hunter. It is special because it is the oldest carcharodontosaurid found in South America.1 2

Lived

137 to 133 million years ago3

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina1 2

Food

Meat3 2

Length

3.5 m1

about 3.5 meters, slightly more than half the length of Concavenator

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

as long as 4 dogs nose to tailas long as 19 bananas end to end

How big was Lajasvenator compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Lajasvenator is the oldest carcharodontosaurid dinosaur ever found in South America, living about 137 to 132 million years ago.1 2

It had unique features on its neck bones, like lip-like crests and bilobed (two-lobed) processes on its ribs, which are not seen in other dinosaurs.2

Lajasvenator was found with remains of the sauropod Pilmatueia, a long-necked plant-eater, and other dinosaurs like an iguanodontian-like ornithopod.2

Scientists think Lajasvenator might show that early carcharodontosaurids were medium-sized, and later they evolved into giants like Giganotosaurus and Mapusaurus.1

The name Lajasvenator comes from the city of Las Lajas in Argentina, where the fossils were found.1

It was about 3.5 meters (11 feet) long, which is about the length of a small car.1

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

?How big was Lajasvenator?

Lajasvenator was about 3.5 meters (11 feet) long, which is about the length of a small car. It was one of the smaller known carcharodontosaurids.1

?What did Lajasvenator eat?

Lajasvenator was a meat-eater, a theropod dinosaur. It likely hunted small to medium-sized plant-eating dinosaurs, as it was found with remains of the sauropod Pilmatueia and an iguanodontian-like ornithopod.1 2

?When did Lajasvenator live?

Lajasvenator lived about 135 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous period. It is the oldest carcharodontosaurid known from South America.1

?Was Lajasvenator a dinosaur?

Yes, Lajasvenator was a dinosaur, specifically a theropod dinosaur. It belonged to the group Carcharodontosauridae, which includes other meat-eating dinosaurs.1

?Why is Lajasvenator important?

Lajasvenator is important because it is the oldest carcharodontosaurid found in South America. It helps scientists understand how these predators evolved, possibly starting medium-sized and later becoming giants like Giganotosaurus.1 2

Ask Rex about Lajasvenator

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Myth buster

Myth: Some people think all meat-eating dinosaurs were huge like T. rex.

Truth: Lajasvenator was a medium-sized predator, only about 3.5 meters long, showing that many carnivorous dinosaurs were much smaller.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Lajasvenator
Named by: Coria et al. 20203
Group: Meat-eating dinos
Family / clade: Carcharodontosauridae3
Classification: Theropoda > Allosauroidea > Carcharodontosauridae3
Age of the rocks: 137 to 133 million years (Valanginian)3
Rock formations: Mulichinco3
Countries: Argentina3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Lajasvenator was named by Rodolfo Coria and colleagues in 2020, based on two partial skeletons found in the Mulichinco Formation in Argentina.1 2
Still debated: Scientists are still debating exactly how Lajasvenator is related to other carcharodontosaurids, with some studies placing it near Concavenator and others near Labocania and Shaochilong.1

Where the facts come from

Lajasvenator (en.wikipedia.org)
Description: An Early Cretaceous, medium-sized carcharodontosaurid theropod (Dinosauria, Saurischia) from the Mulichinco Formation (upper Valanginian), Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina (repositoriosdigitales.mincyt.gob.ar)
Lajasvenator in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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