Masiakasaurus

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Masiakasaurus Fossil range: Late Cretaceous
Masiakasaurus skull, at the Field Museum of Natural History.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Superorder: Dinosauria Order: Saurischia Suborder: Theropoda Infraorder: Ceratosauria Superfamily: Abelisauroidea Family: Noasauridae Genus: Masiakasaurus
Binomial name
Masiakasaurus knopfleri Sampson et al., 2001

Masiakasaurus was a small predatory (theropod) dinosaur from Madagascar, named in 2001. Unlike most theropods, the front teeth of Masiakasaurus projected forward instead of straight down. This unique dentition suggests that Masiakasaurus had a specialized diet, perhaps including fish and other small prey. Other bones of the skeleton indicate that Masiaksaurus was bipedal, with much shorter forelimbs than hindlimbs. Masiakasaurus had an estimated adult body length of around 2 meters (approximately 6 or 7 feet).

Masiakasaurus lived around 70 million years ago, along with animals such as Majungasaurus, Rapetosaurus, and Rahonavis. Masiakasaurus was closely related to the noasaurs, small predatory dinosaurs found in South America.

In Malagasy, masiaka means "vicious"; thus, the genus name means "vicious lizard". The type species, Masiakasaurus knopfleri, was named after the musician Mark Knopfler, of Dire Straits fame.

[edit] References

• The Geological Society of London (25 January 2001). "Palaeontologists in dire straits name dinosaur for the Sultan of Swing". Retrieved 7 October 2005.