Aratasaurus museunacionali

†Aratasaurus museunacionali was a coelurosaur theropod carnivore of the Early Cretaceous, discovered in Ceará, Brazil. Known from partial remains including a forelimb and hindlimb elements, it was a medium-sized bipedal predator in Gondwanan South America. Named in honor of the Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro following the catastrophic 2018 fire that destroyed much of its collections.

Diet & Feeding

Carnivore

Aratasaurus museunacionali was a meat-eating predator. Carnivorous dinosaurs were active hunters or scavengers, equipped with sharp teeth and claws for catching and consuming prey. They occupied the top of the food chain in their ecosystems.

Time Period

Cretaceous Early Mesozoic Era

Aratasaurus museunacionali lived during the Cretaceous Early period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 145,0 to 100,5 million years ago.

The Cretaceous saw continued dinosaur evolution with the rise of ornithopods and early ceratopsians. Flowering plants first appeared and began to transform terrestrial ecosystems. Spinosaurus and other large theropods lived during this time.