Majungasaurus
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Extinct (fossil)
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| Majungasaurus crenatissimus Lavocat, 1955 |
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Majungatholus atopus Sues and Taquet, 1979 |
Majungasaurus (meaning "Majunga lizard") was an abelisaur of the infraorder Ceratosauria. Named for the Mahajunga district in Madagascar in which it was found, the Majungasaurus is known from a partial lower jaw uncovered from the Maevarano Formation. It appears to be similar to Abelisaurus and Carnotaurus.
More well-preserved specimens discovered between 1993 and 1996 were originally considered examples of Majungasaurus as well, but researchers later placed them in another genus, named Majungatholus. One particularly good Majungatholus specimen had an unusually thick skull; thus, when its skull cap was first discovered in Madagascar, scientists thought that it was the skull of a pachycephalosaur. (Hence its name, which meant "Majunga dome"). Several years later, when a full skull and more complete skeleton were found, scientists realized it was an abelisaurid theropod, and probably even synonymous with the previously known dinosaur Majungasaurus. The supposed dome, for example, now appears to be the round and hollow horn of the theropod.
The Majungasaurus is believed by some scientists to have been cannibalistic, due to fossil specimens featuring tooth marks that appear to have been inflicted by members of their own species.
[edit] References
- Lavocat, R. (1955). "Sur une portion de mandibule de Théropode provenant du Crétacé supérieur de Madagascar." Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, 27: 256-259.
- Sampson, S.D., Krause, D.W, Dodson, P. and Forster, C.A. (1996). "The premaxilla of Majungasaurus (Dinosauria; Theropoda), with implications for Gondwanan palaeobiogeography." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 16: 601-605.
- Sampson, S., Witmer, L., Forster, C., Krause, D., O’Connor, P., Dodson, P. and Ravoavy, F. (1998). "Predatory dinosaur remains from Madagascar: Implications for the Cretaceous Biogeography of Gondwana." Science, 280: 1048-1051.
- Sues, H., and Taquet, P. (1979). "A pachycephalosaurid dinosaur from Madagascar and a Laurasia-Gondwanaland connection in the Cretaceous." Naturem 279(5714): 633-635.
