Carnotaurus sastrei skeleton

Carnotaurus sastrei is an abelisaurid theropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous, approximately 72–69 million years ago, in what is now South America. It was discovered in 1984 in Chubut Province, Argentina, and formally described by paleontologist José Bonaparte. Its name, meaning "carnivorous bull", refers to its distinctive features: a pair of prominent horns above its eyes, unique among carnivorous dinosaurs. The fossil found is remarkably complete, which has allowed paleontologists to gain a detailed understanding of its anatomy.

The skeleton of Carnotaurus is exceptionally peculiar compared to other theropods. This dinosaur is estimated to have measured between 7.5 and 9 meters in length and weighed around 1.5 tons. Its skull was short, deep and highly specialized, with jaws equipped with small, laterally compressed teeth designed to cut meat. The skull was pierced by large fenestrae (holes) that lightened its weight and allowed the insertion of powerful jaw muscles, giving it an effective bite.

One of the most distinctive features of Carnotaurus is its pair of prominent bony horns above its eyes. These horns were thick and robust, and it has been proposed that they may have been used in intraspecific fighting, possibly for charging or visual displays. The morphology of the skull suggests that its vision was adapted for binocular focusing, which would have improved its ability to hunt moving prey.

The neck of Carnotaurus was short and muscular, which probably allowed it to make rapid head movements. The torso was elongated, with vertebrae that have characteristics adapted to support powerful musculature. In contrast, the arms were extremely small, even smaller than those of other theropods such as Tyrannosaurus rex. The arms were practically devoid of functionality and ended in vestigial fingers.

Its pelvis was robust, and the hind limbs were well developed, with long, slender bones indicating that it was an agile runner. The proportions of its legs, together with a biomechanical analysis of its skeleton, suggest that Carnotaurus was adapted to reach high speeds in open terrain, possibly exceeding 40–50 km/h. Its feet had three main toes, and the claws were relatively small, suggesting that it relied more on its speed and bite to hunt than on its forelimbs or claws.

Another notable aspect of the Carnotaurus fossil is the preservation of skin impressions, which has provided unique information about its integument. Its skin was covered with non-overlapping scales and large conical protuberances distributed in rows along the body. These structures lacked evidence of feathers and appear to have served to reinforce its camouflage or as part of a thermal regulation mechanism.

From a paleobiological perspective, Carnotaurus was likely a specialized predator that hunted medium- to large-sized herbivorous dinosaurs in the open, dry environments that characterized southern Gondwana during the Late Cretaceous. Its combination of speed, specialized skull, and horns makes it one of the most unusual and fascinating theropods known to date. Its discovery has been fundamental to understanding the evolution and diversity of abelisaurids, a group of theropods that dominated the ecosystems of the southern hemisphere during the Mesozoic.

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Approximate measurements of Carnotaurus :

• Scale 1:15
• Length 486 mm
• Height 187 mm
• Width 101 mm
• Snout-tail length 521 mm
• Solid piece
• Includes brackets