MESOZOIC QUICK FACT SERIES:
Abelisauridae: The Rulers of the Cretaceous South
Meet the Abelisauridae, the theropods with spectacular cranial ornamentation, and strongly reduced forelimbs…
Mesozoic Quick Fact Series (MQFS) aims to provide interesting facts about various groups of extinct animals in a fun and readable way. We will focus on the highlights, so you don’t need to read extensive, time-consuming texts!
In this article, we will take a quick overview of the Abelisauridae, a group of carnivorous dinosaurs that ruled the Southern Hemisphere during the final stages of the Mesozoic Era.
Let’s jump right through!
Starting with the basics…
Abelisauridae literally means “Abel’s Lizards”, in honor of Roberto Abel who discovered the first genus of the family, Abelisaurus comahuensis.
They were of ceratosaurian origin, meaning that they shared a more recent common ancestry with the famous Jurassic predator Ceratosaurus than with birds. Abelisaurids are characterized by the extensive ornamentation of their skull bones, which could bore horns, grooves, and pits.
