Carnotosaurus
grew to about 25 feet (7.6 meters) in length and measured approximately 15 feet
(4.6 meters) tall at its hips. It had a short, blunt snout and sharp, pointed
teeth, but its most notable feature was two horns located above the eyes. The
purpose of these horns, which resembled those of a bull and therefore inspired
the name Carnotosaurus, which means
"meat-eating bull," is not known.
It is not clear whether Carnotosaurus moved slowly or
had the speed and agility to chase down prey. It may have scavenged from the
carcasses of dead animals. Its arms were unusually small for a theropod
dinosaur, and the hands had three fingers with sharp claws. The first fossil
evidence of Carnotosaurus was discovered in 1985. A nearly complete
skeleton--lacking only the hind feet and tail -- was found in southern
Argentina. --
Text by:
Bob
Simon
