Carnotaurus was a large theropod dinosaur. Its name means "meat-eating bull", referring to the bull-like horns above its eyes. Rival Carnotaurus are likely to have combated each other with rapid head blows, ramming each other and using the horns to absorb the shock.This lightly built, bipedal predator was well adapted for running, and could have been one of the fastest theropods, well-suited for hunting small prey dinosaurs. Its forelimbs were shorter than any other large carnivorous dinosaur, suggesting they were completely vestigial.
Discovery
Carnotaurus is known from a single well-preserved skeleton, found in 1984 in the La Colonia Formation in Argentina. The find included unusual details such as the hyoid bones that support the tongue in the jaw, and extensive skin impressions showing small non-overlapping scales.
Paleoecology
Carnotaurus would have lived in a seasonal environment with dry and humid periods. The La Colonia Formation represents the deposits of estuaries, tidal flats and coastal plains.
