Carnotaurus - Discovery and Classifiction

Discovery and Classifiction

Carnotaurus was found in Chubut Province, Argentina in 1985 by paleontologist Joseph F. Bonaparte. Its remains were in sediments of the La Colonia Formation. One mostly complete skeleton was found, missing only the distal end of the tail and the last part of the lower limbs. It was an unusual find because of its extensive skin impressions. The specimen was collected at the farm "Pocho Sastre" near Bajada Moreno, Telsen Department, Chubut, Argentina, in sediments corresponding to the lower section of the La Colonia Formation, Late Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian), about 75 million years old. The holotype of Carnotaurus sastrei is deposited in the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences' Bernardino Rivadavia, where one can see a replica.

The only species known is C. sastrei. Its closest relatives include Aucasaurus (Argentina), Majungasaurus (Madagascar), and Rajasaurus (India). These dinosaurs make up the subfamily Carnotaurinae within the family Abelisauridae. Within the subfamily Carnotaurinae, Carnotaurus and Aucasaurus are more closely related and both genera are placed in the tribe Carnotaurini. Findings show that these were the dominant predators in the Late Cretaceous of Gondwana, replacing the carcharodontosaurids and occupying the ecological niche filled by the tyrannosaurids in the northern continents. In 2008, J. I. Canale et al. proposed a cladogram with a focus on carnotaurines from South America.

Cladogram of Abelisauridae