Abelisaurus Facts, Information & Pictures. Discover This Little-Known Cretaceous Dinosaur

Abelisaurus was a meat-eating dinosaur of the late Cretaceous period. This page contains Abelisaurus facts, pictures and information for kids, students and adults, and is part of our Dinosaur Facts series.

Abelisaurus comahuensis

Abelisaurus Facts

Abelisaurus was a medium-sized meat-eating dinosaur that (probably) looked like a mini T Rex.

We say ‘probably’ because not much is known about Abelisaurus. In fact, everything that we do know about Abelisaurus comes from just one skull. And even that was incomplete!

The skull was found by Roberto Abel, director of the Provincial Museum of Cipolletti in Argentina, in 1983.

In 1985, Abelisaurus was described and named from this single specimen by Argentine paleontologists José Bonaparte and Fernando Emilio Novas.

What Did Abelisaurus Look Like?

Abelisaurus comahuensis jmallon

Abelisaurus was a typical theropod, being bipedal (i.e. it walked on two legs) and having a long tail that provided balance and stability. It had a relatively short head, and powerful jaws typical of a meat-eating dinosaur.

Abelisaurus Size

Abelisaurus is estimated to have been between 7 and 10 meters (23 and 33 ft.) in length.

It would have weighed around 3 metric tonnes (3.3 tons).

Abelisaurus Family Relations

Abelisaurus skull

Abelisaurus is a genus, which means that it is a ‘type’ of dinosaur, rather than an actual species. The only species so far identified is Abelisaurus comahuensis.

When Abelisaurus was identified from the skull, both the genus and the species were named.

What Did Abelisaurus Eat?

It is thought that, being a similar animal to the Tyrannosaurus (the genus that contains T Rex), Abelisaurus was an apex predator, i.e. that it was the top of the food chain, and had no predators.

One dinosaur expert, Gregory S. Paul, suggests that Abelisaurus preyed on Titanosaurians. Titanosaurs were huge dinosaurs that had long necks and tails and walked on four legs. They were members of the sauropod group of dinosaurs, which included giants such as Apatosaurus and Diplodocus.

Where Was Abelisaurus Found?

Abelisaurus was found in Argentina, in an area known as Patagonia. The fossil was found in the Anacleto Formation, which was formed in the Late Cretaceous Period, between 83 and 80 million years ago.

Top Ten Abelisaurus Facts for Kids

  1. Abelisaurus was a two-legged, meat-eating dinosaur.
  2. Abelisaurus was a theropod.
  3. It lived in the late Cretaceous period.
  4. All that we know about Abelisaurus comes from just one partial skull fossil.
  5. The skull was found by dinosaur hunter Roberto Abel.
  6. Abelisaurus was between 7 and 10 metres (23 and 33 ft.) in length.
  7. It would have weighed around 3 metric tonnes (3.3 tons).
  8. Abelisaurus was found in the Anacleto Formation of rocks, in Argentina
  9. The only species of Abelisaurus to have been identified is Abelisaurus comahuensis.
  10. Scientists think that Abelisaurus preyed on Titanosaurians – large sauropod dinosaurs

Abelisaurus Facts: Conclusion

We hope that you have enjoyed finding out about Abelisaurus. Why not check out some of our other dinosaur pages …