Tralkasaurus

Say it: TRAL-kah-SORE-us

Name means: “thunder lizard”1

Ate: MeatOther meat-eatersEarly Cretaceous

Tralkasaurus was a medium-sized meat-eating dinosaur that lived in what is now Argentina. It was a type of abelisaurid, a group of predators known for their short snouts and strong legs. Tralkasaurus was smaller than many of its relatives, so it probably hunted different prey.2 1

Lived

110 to 106 million years ago4

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Violante Farm, Río Negro Province, Argentina4 1

Food

Meat4

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

cool stuff

Fun facts

Tralkasaurus was named in 2020, making it a relatively new dinosaur discovery.4

Its name comes from the Mapudungun word 'tralka' meaning thunder, and the Greek word 'sauros' meaning lizard.1

Tralkasaurus lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 106 million years ago.1

Only one incomplete skeleton of Tralkasaurus has been found, including parts of the skull, backbone, and hip.1

Tralkasaurus was smaller than other abelisaurids like Abelisaurus and Carnotaurus, so it probably filled a different role in its ecosystem.2

The maxilla (upper jaw bone) of Tralkasaurus is 22 centimeters (8.7 inches) long, which is smaller than that of the related Skorpiovenator.1

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

?How big was Tralkasaurus?

About 4 metres (13 feet) long. That is smaller than many other abelisaurids like Carnotaurus, which was about 7 metres (23 feet) long.3

?What did Tralkasaurus eat?

It was a meat-eater. It probably hunted small dinosaurs like iguanodonts.3

?When did Tralkasaurus live?

It lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 106 million years ago.1

?Where was Tralkasaurus found?

In Argentina, near the village of El Cuy in Río Negro Province.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Tralkasaurus
Named by: Cerroni et al. 20204
Group: Other meat-eaters
Family / clade: Abelisauridae4
Classification: Theropoda > Ceratosauria > Abelisauridae4
Age of the rocks: 110 to 106 million years (Albian)4
Rock formations: Huincul4
Countries: Argentina4
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Tralkasaurus was discovered at the Violante Farm fossil site in Argentina. It was named in 2020 by Mauricio Cerroni and colleagues based on an incomplete skeleton.1 4
Still debated: Scientists are not sure exactly where Tralkasaurus fits in the abelisaurid family tree. It has a mix of features from early and more advanced abelisaurids.1

Where the facts come from

Tralkasaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
A new abelisaurid from the Huincul Formation (Cenomanian-Turonian; Upper Cretaceous) of Río Negro province, Argentina (sciencedirect.com)
Tralkasaurus, el “Reptil Trueno” – Museo de Ciencias Naturales (macnconicet.gob.ar)
Tralkasaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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