← Rex's Notes
Carnotaurus
Bull-horned, fast, and tiny-armed.
Said: CAR-no-TOR-us
Era: Cretaceous · 72 to 69 million years ago
Diet: Carnivore
Habitat: Arid plains of South America
Size: about the length of a delivery truck.
What it was like
Carnotaurus had two short horns above its eyes, like a bull. Its arms were even shorter and stranger than T. rex's, like little flippers.
What we know now
Skin impressions from the holotype show a mosaic of pebbly scales studded with larger osteoderms running in rows along the body. Tail muscle attachments suggest one of the fastest large theropods — early estimates put short bursts near 30 mph, though more recent biomechanical work has been skeptical of the upper end. Skull is short and deep, optimized for slashing rather than crushing bites.
Notes
- The forearms were so reduced that the radius and ulna were nearly fused.
- Likely hunted other dinosaurs in the local fauna, though no direct bite-mark or stomach-content evidence survives.
- Eyes faced more forward than most theropods, suggesting some binocular vision.