Taurovenator violantei Taurovenator

Taurovenator, from Latin taurus, meaning “bull”, and venator, meaning “hunter”, is an extinct genus of large, probable carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaurs that lived in what is now Argentina during the Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous, around 95 to 93.9 million years ago. Initially only known from a single postorbital skull bone described from the Huincul Formation, Taurovenator violantei was named in 2016 by Argentine paleontologist Matias Motta and colleagues. Debate came about over the validity of the species, with some paleontologists arguing that Taurovenator was synonymous with the earlier-named carcharodontosaurid Mapusaurus. However, the 2024 description of a well-preserved partial skull and skeleton referrable to Taurovenator aided in distinguishing the two taxa.