Carnotaurus was a large theropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous period, around 72-69.9 million years ago. It was a carnivore with bull-like horns and could grow up to 25 feet long. Studies have found that Carnotaurus may have hunted large prey like sauropods or smaller animals. It was well-adapted for running and had a top speed estimated between 30-35 mph, faster than humans but not as fast as ostriches. The skull was short and deep with numerous holes and spikes on the facial bones.

1. Carnotaurus
Feeding Habit
The feeding habits of Carnotaurus remain unclear: some studies
suggest the animal was able to hunt down very large prey such as
sauropods, while other studies find it preyed mainly on
relatively small animals. Carnotaurus was well adapted for running
and was possibly one of the fastest large theropods.
Carnotaurus is a genus of large theropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous period, from about 72 to 69.9 million years ago. The
only known species is Carnotaurus sastrei. Derived from the Latin words carnis meaning "flesh" and taurus meaning "bull", the name Carnotaurus means "meat-
eating bull", an allusion to the animal's carnivorous diet and bull-like horns.
Speed
The running adaptations of Carnotaurus would have been better than those
of a human, although not nearly as good as those of an ostrich. Scientists
calculate that Carnotaurus had a top speed of up to 48–56 km (30–35 mi)
per hour. In dinosaurs, the most important locomotor muscle was located in
the tail.
Measurment
Length 25 ft
Hight 9 ft
Weight 1,000 –
3,000 kg
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Order: Saurischia
Suborder: Theropoda
Family: †Abelisauridae
Clade: †Furileusauria
Tribe: †Carnotaurini
Genus: †Carnotaurus
Bonaparte, 1985
Species: †C. sastrei
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism in dinosaurs refers to the different physical
characteristics of male and female dinosaurs of the same species.
This means that the male and female dinosaurs of a species may
differ in size, color, shape, or they may even look like a completely
different species altogether, such as in the case of the anglerfish.
These differing physical characteristics can also be the deciding
factor for choosing a mate or can be helpful for blending into the
surrounding environment. Researching sexual dimorphism in
dinosaurs can be extremely difficult because suitable tissue and
skeletal samples are required for testing, and most fossils and other
samples have been damaged by decomposition and fossilization.
Skull
The skull, measuring 59.6 cm (23.5 in) in length, was proportionally
shorter and deeper than in any other large carnivorous
dinosaur. The snout was moderately broad, not as tapering as seen in
more basal theropods like Ceratosaurus, and the jaws were curved
upwards.As in other abelisaurids, the facial bones, especially
the nasal bones, were sculptured with numerous small holes and
spikes.
Locomotion
Mazzetta and colleagues (1998, 1999) presumed
that Carnotaurus was a swift runner, arguing that the thigh bone was
adapted to withstand high bending moments while running. The
ability of an animal's leg to withstand those forces limits its top speed.
The running adaptations of Carnotaurus would have been better than
those of a human, although not nearly as good as those of
an ostrich. Scientists calculate that Carnotaurus had a top speed of
up to 48–56 km (30–35 mi) per hour.
Cross section through the tail
of Carnotaurus, showing the
enlarged caudofemoralis muscle and
the V-shaped caudal ribs
Prepared By
Shahid Nawaz M.Sc Zoology, KUST, Kohat, Reg. No. ZO220162076
References
1. Lewis, Charlton Thomas; Short, Charles (1879). "carnis". A Latin Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press. OCLC 1063568.
2. Lewis, Charlton Thomas; Short, Charles (1879). "taurus". A Latin Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press. OCLC 1063568.
3. Jump up to:a b Candeiro, Carlos Roberto dos Anjos; Martinelli, Agustín Guillermo. "Abelisauroidea and carchardontosauridae (theropoda,
dinosauria) in the cretaceous of south america. Paleogeographical and geocronological implications". Uberlândia. 17 (33): 5–19.