Carnotaurus Facts for Kids

A Picture of Carnotaurus Sastrei
  • Species Type: Carnotaurus sastrei
  • Type of Dinosaur: Theropod
  • Period: Late Cretaceous
  • Diet: Meat (carnivorous)
  • Life Span: 20+ years (estimated)
  • Length: Between 24 to 30 feet (average)
  • Weight: At least 1.5 tons

19 Carnotaurus Facts for Kids

  1. The Carnotaurus was discovered in 1984, by Jose Bonaparte, an Argentinian paleontologist.
  2. The Carnotaurus got its scientific name Carnotaurus sastrei in 1985, from Jose Bonaparte.
  3. The holotype skeleton for the Carnotaurus is MACN-CH 894 and it is currently the only skeleton of a Carnotaurus to be discovered.
  4. The name Carnotaurus means: “Meat-Eating Bull”.
  5. The name Carnotaurus is pronounced: “kahrn-uh-TAWR-us”.
  6. The Carnotaurus was part of a group of dinosaurs known as theropods.
  7. The Carnotaurus is a member of the Abelisauridae family.
  8. They lived in the Late Cretaceous Period between 69 and 72 million years ago.
  9. The average length of a Carnotaurus is estimated to be 28 feet.
  10. The average weight of a Carnotaurus is estimated to be 2,200 pounds.
  11. The estimated top running speed of a Carnotaurus is 25 miles per hour.
  12. The Carnotaurus was a carnivore and ate meat.
  13. The Carnotaurus is one of the fastest large theropods to ever live on our planet.
  14. The Carnotaurus was probably an active predator and ate small but agile prey.
  15. The only Carnotaurus fossil discovered was found in the Patagonia region in South America. Lucky for us the fossilized remains were in great condition and almost a complete specimen was unearthed.
  16. The arms of the Carnotaurus were smaller than those found on a Tyrannosaurus Rex, only measuring 1.6 feet in length. This leads Paleontologists to believe that its armes served no purpose and were purely vestigial.
  17. The teeth of a Carnotaurus are almost eight times smaller than teeth of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
  18. If you could see a living Carnotaurus today it would be easy identify by the two horns that protrude from their head that are just above their eyes.
  19. Paleontologists think the horns of the Carnotaurus might have been used to fight each other, either over a prey corpse, territory or during mating.

Additional Resources on Carnotaurus

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