A large carnivore from South America. It roamed the La Colonia formation of what is now Argentina in South America between 72-69 million years ago. It belongs to the the family of Abelisaurids, a carnivore group that dominated the southern hemisphere at the same time Tyrannosaurids dominated the norther hemisphere. Generally Abelisaur were smaller than the average Tyrannosaur, but were still of large size. Carnotaurus averaged about 25-26 feet being among the larger Abelisaurs. Some interesting aspects concerning Carnotaurus. Fossilized skin impressions were found with the original specimen. They show non-overlapping scales on the body and the head showed overlapping scales and patterns similar to crocodiles with the addition of spikes, pits and grooves on the snout and around the eyes. Two prominent horns jutted above the eyes. Possibly to combat other Carnotaurus like modern deer or bighorn sheep. Notable also are the tiny arms of Abelisaurids. Compared to the body their arms were even smaller than Tyrannosaurids were to their body mass. Abelisaur arms had less articulation and had four digits, with one possibly being just a spike or spine. For its size it was lightly built and likely quick. Not raptor quick but quick for something as big or bigger than an elephant. While an elephant has solid bones and a mass of about 5-6 tons, Carnotaurus is longer and almost as tall yet has a lighter bone and comes in less than 2 tons giving it great agility for a large creature. And finally a pair of Carnotaurus were the villains in the 2000 Disney movie Dinosaur. The Carnotaurus is a DAZ render composited in Photoshop with a photograph of a desert in the southwest. #dinosaur, #Carnotaurus, #Abelisaur, #Abelisaurid