Afrovenator
Afrovenator abakensis
Pronounced: Aff - row - ven - A - tor
Diet: Carnivore (Meat-Eater)
Name Means: "African Hunter"
Length: 27 feet (8 m)
Height: 8 feet (2.5 m)
Weight: 1,000 pounds (450 kilos)
Time: Early Cretaceous - 140 MYA
Fossil remains for this
Dinosaur have been found in
Africa
Afrovenator was the first almost complete skeleton
found of a large African meat-eating dinosaur. It
was unearthed in 1993 by an amateur fossil hunter
who was on a National Geographic-sponsored
expedition. This dinosaur was medium-sized and built
for a life of active hunting, with long, strong back
legs and large, strong arms designed for catching
and holding its prey.
Afrovenator appears to be descended from earlier dinosaurs such as
Megalosaurus . As this family was widely spread through ancient Europe and
possibly South America, it is not surprising that a relation would also have
lived in Africa as its ancestors may have passed through. The only major
Afrovenator parts missing from the type specimen are most of the lower jaw, the
nose, some ribs and vertebrae, and toe bones. All in all, it is a remarkably
complete specimen. |
