Majungasaurus
Majungasaurus was a meat-eating dinosaur that lived on the island of Madagascar near the end of the Age of Dinosaurs. It was the top predator in its home, and scientists have even found evidence that it sometimes ate other Majungasaurus!12
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Fun facts
Majungasaurus lived about 70 to 66 million years ago, during the very end of the Cretaceous Period. It was one of the last non-avian dinosaurs before the big extinction.1
This dinosaur had a thick, bumpy skull with a single rounded horn on top of its head. The horn was made of bone and was probably used for head-butting or showing off.12
Majungasaurus was about 6 to 7 metres long, which is as long as a big school bus. It was a medium-sized theropod, not as huge as T. rex but still a fierce hunter.2
Fossils show that Majungasaurus sometimes ate other Majungasaurus. Tooth marks on its bones match its own teeth, making it one of the few dinosaurs known to have been cannibalistic.2
It shared its home with many other animals, including the long-necked sauropod Rapetosaurus, the small meat-eater Masiakasaurus, and giant crocodile-like creatures.1
The first Majungasaurus fossils were found in 1895 by French explorers. At first, scientists thought it was a kind of Megalosaurus, and later it was even called Majungatholus.12
Majungasaurus is one of the best-known meat-eating dinosaurs from the southern continents. Many complete skulls and skeletons have been found, so scientists know a lot about it.2
Most asked questions about Majungasaurus
?How big was Majungasaurus?
Majungasaurus was about 6 to 7 metres long (20 to 23 feet) and weighed around 750 to 1,100 kilograms (1,650 to 2,430 pounds). Some larger individuals may have reached over 8 metres (26 feet).1
?Did Majungasaurus eat other dinosaurs?
Yes, it mainly hunted sauropods like Rapetosaurus. It also ate other Majungasaurus, making it one of the few dinosaurs known to be cannibalistic.14
?When did Majungasaurus live?
Majungasaurus lived about 70 to 66 million years ago, at the very end of the Cretaceous Period. It was one of the last non-avian dinosaurs before the big extinction.1
?Did Majungasaurus have a horn?
Yes, it had a single rounded horn on top of its skull, made of bone. Scientists think it might have been used for head-butting or showing off.1
?Was Majungasaurus bigger than T. rex?
No, Majungasaurus was much smaller. T. rex was about 12 metres long and weighed over 8 tonnes, while Majungasaurus was only about 6 to 7 metres long and weighed around 1 tonne.1
?Where was Majungasaurus found?
All Majungasaurus fossils have been found in northwestern Madagascar, in the Maevarano Formation. The first remains were discovered along the Betsiboka River in 1896.1
?Did Majungasaurus have feathers?
No one knows for sure. No feather impressions have been found with Majungasaurus fossils, and it belonged to a group of dinosaurs (abelisaurids) that are not known to have had feathers.1
?Is Majungasaurus a dinosaur?
Yes, Majungasaurus is a dinosaur. It is a theropod dinosaur, which means it was a meat-eating, two-legged dinosaur.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Some people think Majungasaurus was a type of tyrannosaur like T. rex.
Truth: Majungasaurus was actually an abelisaurid, a different group of meat-eating dinosaurs that lived mainly in the southern continents. It had a shorter, deeper skull and tiny arms, but it was not closely related to T. rex.12
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Majungasaurus
- Named by
- Lavocat 19555
- Group
- Meat-eating dinos
- Family / clade
- Abelisauridae5
- Classification
- Theropoda > Ceratosauria > Abelisauridae5
- Age of the rocks
- 72 to 66 million years (Maastrichtian)5
- Rock formations
- Maevarano5
- Countries
- Madagascar5
- Fossil records
- 25 in the Paleobiology Database5
- Also known as
- Majungatholus (older names now counted as the same animal)5
- Discovery
- The first fossils of Majungasaurus were discovered in 1895 in Madagascar by French explorers. It was named Majungasaurus by French paleontologist René Lavocat in 1955, after the Mahajanga region where it was found.15
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly how the single horn on Majungasaurus's head was used. It might have been for fighting rivals, attracting mates, or both.1
Where the facts come from
- Majungasaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY OF DISCOVERY, TAXONOMY, PHYLOGENY, AND BIOGEOGRAPHY OF MAJUNGASAURUS CRENATISSIMUS (THEROPODA: ABELISAURIDAE) FROM THE LATE CRETACEOUS OF MADAGASCAR (sites.ohio.edu)
- Majungasaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Cannibalism in the Madagascan dinosaur Majungatholus atopus | Nature (nature.com)
- Majungasaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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