Abelisauridae: 5 Dinosaurs in This Family

What is Abelisauridae?

Abelisauridae is a family of predators that dominated many southern landmasses in the Cretaceous, with fossils from South America, Africa, Madagascar and India. Members have short, deep skulls, often with horns or ornamented bone, and unusually short forelimbs.

The family is a reminder that the biggest predators of the southern continents were not tyrannosaurs. Their relationships to other theropods are still debated, but the skull shape and short arms are consistent across the best-known genera.

How this group is defined here

Members are the 5 field notes whose family or immediate parent group in the Paleobiology Database catalogue is Abelisauridae. The interpreted diet field across the group is carnivore, based on skeletal features rather than direct observation. Groups are revised when new fossils are described, and some genera are placed here with less certainty than others, so each field note records its sources and limits.

Abelisauridae members

Abelisauridae member comparison
Genus	Period	Fossil locations	Category
Abelisaurus	Cretaceous	South America	dinosaur
Aucasaurus	Cretaceous	South America	dinosaur
Carnotaurus	Cretaceous	South America	dinosaur
Majungasaurus	Cretaceous	Africa	dinosaur
Rugops	Cretaceous	Africa	dinosaur

Quick answers about Abelisauridae

Is Abelisaurus a abelisaurid?: Yes. In this catalogue Abelisaurus is placed in Abelisauridae, with Abelisaurinae as its immediate parent group, and its fossils are from the Cretaceous period. Classification changes as new fossils are described, so the field note lists the sources and any disagreement.
Is Aucasaurus a abelisaurid?: Yes. In this catalogue Aucasaurus is placed in Abelisauridae, with Brachyrostra as its immediate parent group, and its fossils are from the Cretaceous period. Classification changes as new fossils are described, so the field note lists the sources and any disagreement.
Is Carnotaurus a abelisaurid?: Yes. In this catalogue Carnotaurus is placed in Abelisauridae, with Furileusauria as its immediate parent group, and its fossils are from the Cretaceous period. Classification changes as new fossils are described, so the field note lists the sources and any disagreement.
Is Majungasaurus a abelisaurid?: Yes. In this catalogue Majungasaurus is placed in Abelisauridae, with Majungasaurini as its immediate parent group, and its fossils are from the Cretaceous period. Classification changes as new fossils are described, so the field note lists the sources and any disagreement.
Is Rugops a abelisaurid?: Yes. In this catalogue Rugops is placed in Abelisauridae, and its fossils are from the Cretaceous period. Classification changes as new fossils are described, so the field note lists the sources and any disagreement.