Majungasaurus

MEET THE ANIMAL

Meet Majungasaurus

Majungasaurus crenatissimus was a predatory dinosaur from Late Cretaceous Madagascar. Skull material from the Maevarano Formation includes an unusually complete, well-preserved example studied in detail. It belonged to the abelisaur family, whose members were distinctive meat-eating dinosaurs. Its short, deep and broad skull gives it a different outline from the long, narrow heads of some other predators. [S1]

The head combines thickened bones with extensive internal air spaces. Researchers described a thickened area on top of the skull and strongly modified bones around the nose. These features are useful for identification and for investigating how the skull worked. They also remind us that a rough or heavy-looking fossil does not mean every bone was solid throughout. Understanding the interior can change the picture suggested by the surface alone. [S1]

Tooth marks document feeding on sauropod carcasses and on members of its own species. These traces establish consumption, but they do not establish that Majungasaurus killed those particular animals. [D2]

The rest of the body provides another striking contrast: its forelimbs were highly reduced. Research on these small arms complements the detailed work on the skull. Preserved anatomy gives a stronger starting point than an imagined daily routine. The reviewed evidence does not establish courtship displays, parenting or an ordinary social-group size for this species. [D3]