Aucasaurus garridoi

"Auca Mahuevo lizard"

Generic theropod body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Aucasaurus 6.2 m (20.3 ft) long
as long as 4 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic theropod body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Aucasaurus
Length
6.2 m (20.3 ft)
Period
Late Cretaceous (85–80 Mya)
Place
Argentina
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Abelisauridae

Aucasaurus (meaning ‘Auca Mahuevo lizard’) is a genus of medium-sized abelisaurid theropod dinosaur from Argentina that lived during the Late Cretaceous (Santonian to Campanian stage) of the Anacleto Formation. It was smaller than the related Carnotaurus, although more derived in some ways, such as its extremely reduced arms and almost total lack of fingers. The type skeleton is complete to the thirteenth caudal vertebra, and so is relatively well understood, and was the most complete abelisaurid known when described in 2002. However, the skull is damaged, causing some paleontologists to speculate that it was involved in a fight prior to death.

What we know

  • Named by Coria et al., 2002.
  • Body length estimated at about 6.2 m.
  • Fossils found in Argentina.

What we guess

The reconstruction notes for Aucasaurus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.