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EXHIBIT 12

Carnotaurus

Carnotaurus

Carnotaurus paired two head horns with extraordinarily reduced forelimbs.

Evidence profile

TWO WAYS TO PICTURE THE PAST

Compare the evidence with the familiar movie image. The illustrations are not to a shared scale.

01 / SCIENTIFIC RECONSTRUCTION

An animal, reconstructed

Carnotaurus sastrei life reconstruction by Fred Wierum. Short narrow skull, paired horns, very small arms and mixed small and larger conical scales.

The artist identifies this reconstruction as Carnotaurus sastrei. This view illustrates one form within the genus, rather than every species or individual. Fossil-informed anatomy: Short narrow skull, paired horns, very small arms and mixed small and larger conical scales. Skin layout reflects fossil evidence; coloration remains speculative. [1] [2]

Carnotaurus Reconstruction (2022).png — Fred Wierum. CC BY-SA 4.0. Remote source artwork displayed without additional cropping; Wikimedia supplies any display-size derivative.

Scientific picture served by Wikimedia · internet connection required.

02 / MOVIE-STYLE INTERPRETATION

A cinematic imagination

Original cinematic Carnotaurus picture: Cinematic Carnotaurus with paired brow horns, a short deep head and tiny forelimbs; irregular large scales accent its skin, with artistic color.

Cinematic Carnotaurus with paired brow horns, a short deep head and tiny forelimbs; irregular large scales accent its skin, with artistic color. Dramatic lighting, surface detail and scenery are artistic choices. This is an original cinema-inspired picture, rather than a frame from a film or a documented fossil locality.

Original artwork · artistic interpretation.

Scientific view: credited paleoart interpreting fossil evidence, served online by Wikimedia. Movie-style view: Original artistic interpretation. Colors, soft tissues and settings involve reconstruction.

PERIODLate Cretaceous[1]
DIETCarnivoreInferred from related anatomy [1]
TOTAL LENGTHNot established hereComparable estimate unavailable
FOSSILS FOUNDArgentina[1]
CompareRead the dossierView the sources

MEET THE ANIMAL

Meet Carnotaurus

Carnotaurus was a Late Cretaceous meat eater from Patagonia in Argentina. Paired horns above its eyes, a short, deep skull and extremely small arms give it a distinctive appearance. It belonged to the abelisaur family of predatory dinosaurs. Its particularly blunt head helps distinguish this animal even from relatives that also had short skulls and reduced forelimbs. [S1]

Preserved skin from the shoulder, trunk and tail shows large scales surrounded by smaller ones. A study found that the larger scales varied in arrangement, rather than forming simple, regular rows. These impressions reveal the covering in preserved areas. They do not establish the original color or make every part of a restored body equally certain. [D2]

The original skeleton is substantial, but much of the tail and the lower legs are missing. Restoring the whole animal therefore requires comparisons and interpretation. Researchers have proposed functions for the horns, including interactions between animals, but a horn's shape does not record a mating ritual. Carnotaurus offers an unusually vivid combination of skeletal anatomy and skin evidence while leaving questions about its daily behavior and reproduction unresolved here. [S1]

Overview sources
  1. The Weird Dinosaurs Saga: CarnotaurusPhilip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum · Accessed 2026-10-04Inspected: page

PREHISTORIC ANIMAL DOSSIER

A life in profile.

The animal, the evidence, and the questions still open.

Carnotaurus had paired brow horns, very small arms and a short skull. Preserved C. sastrei skin includes large feature scales surrounded by smaller scales, providing direct evidence of part of its body covering.

Profile scope: Genus — Carnotaurus; skeletal and skin evidence concerns C. sastrei

Time
Late Cretaceous
Fossil locations in this exhibit
Argentina
How to read the evidence

Source supported identifies a description documented by the cited source. Inferred marks a reconstruction or functional estimate. Debated marks competing interpretations. Not established means the sources reviewed for this dossier do not support a firm conclusion; it does not mean a behavior never occurred.

A size reference is an estimate, not a population range. Nesting evidence does not by itself establish courtship, mate choice, or lifelong pairing.

Body length

Inferred

About 8 m (museum reference)

Parts of the legs and tail are missing and are reconstructed using relatives. This reference is not a direct whole-body measurement or verified adult maximum. [D1]

Body mass

Not established

Not established here

A mass estimate with a reviewed reconstruction method is not established in the inspected sources.

Diet and feeding

Source supported

Meat eater

The skull and teeth identify a carnivore. Their shape alone does not establish a precise prey list or killing technique. [D1]

Habitat and setting

Inferred

Late Cretaceous Patagonia; coastal deposits

The museum relates the Argentine fossil setting to estuary and tidal-flat deposits. Burial context does not establish an exclusive habitat preference. [D1]

Movement

Source supported

Two-legged terrestrial movement

The museum describes a bipedal animal. Missing limb and tail parts add uncertainty to detailed movement reconstructions. [D1]

Distinctive anatomy

Source supported

Brow horns, tiny arms and scaled skin

Skin from the shoulder, trunk and tail preserves large feature scales among smaller scales. The study finds variable, rather than orderly row-based, arrangements. [D1] [D2]

Reproduction & life together

Reproduction and nesting

Not established

Not established here

Reviewed sources do not establish Carnotaurus eggs, nest arrangement or parental care.

Mating and courtship

Inferred

Horn display proposed

Mate attraction is one proposed function of the horns, alongside other interpretations. No mating ritual or sex-specific horn difference is established here. [D1]

Social behaviour

Not established

Not established here

Reviewed sources do not establish Carnotaurus group size or coordinated hunting.

Dossier research & sources

Sources and inspection notes for the claims in this profile.

  1. CarnotaurusNatural History Museum, London · Accessed 2026-10-02Genus length reference, incomplete skeleton, horns and Argentine setting · Inspected: page
  2. The scaly skin of the abelisaurid Carnotaurus sastrei (Theropoda: Ceratosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous of PatagoniaUniversity of New England repository; Hendrickx and Bell, Cretaceous Research (2021) · Accessed 2026-10-02Research abstract on preserved skin regions and scale arrangements · Inspected: abstract

THE STORY IN THE FOSSILS

Meet Carnotaurus.

Carnotaurus belongs to Abelisauridae, a group of southern carnivorous dinosaurs that also includes Majungasaurus. Its two horns, abbreviated snout and greatly reduced arms make a distinctive silhouette. The horns have inspired hypotheses involving display or combat, but their actual function is unknown. [1]

A 2021 study describes preserved skin from the shoulder, trunk and tail, with possible neck skin as well. Large conical scales are scattered among smaller scales rather than arranged in orderly rows. The smaller scale shapes differ between sampled body regions. [2]

A note on scale and time

We have not established a comparable adult total-length estimate for this taxon in this draft. Specimen measurements in the text describe those individuals. The cited dates are approximately 71–69 million years ago. Published genus-level educational dating; not a specimen age. Unknown does not mean zero.

Sources & editorial notes

Sources and evidence notes for this exhibit.

  1. Carnotaurus — Dino DirectoryNatural History Museum, London · Accessed 2026-10-02Dino facts; horn function; forelimb reduction; abelisaur relationships; Argentine setting; taxonomic details. Do not adopt the statement that its entire tail is unknown.
  2. The scaly skin of the abelisaurid Carnotaurus sastreiUniversity of New England repository / Cretaceous Research · Accessed 2026-10-02Hendrickx and Bell (2021) original-paper abstract, lines 25–29. Skin regions and scale architecture directly described; thermoregulation explicitly speculative.

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