| Aucasaurus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Mounted skeleton reconstruction | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Abelisauridae |
| Tribe: | †Carnotaurini |
| Genus: | †Aucasaurus Coria et al., 2002 |
| Type species | |
| †Aucasaurus garridoi Coria et al., 2002
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Aucasaurus is a genus of medium-sized abelisaurid theropod dinosaur from Argentina that lived during the Late Cretaceous (Santonian to Campanian stage) of the Anacleto Formation.[1] It was smaller than the related Carnotaurus, although more derived in some ways, such as its extremely reduced arms and almost total lack of fingers.[2] The type skeleton is complete to the thirteenth caudal vertebra, and so is relatively well understood, and is the most complete abelisaurid yet described. However, the skull is damaged, causing some paleontologists to speculate that it was involved in a fight prior to death.[3]
- ^ The Theropod Database on Aucasaurus
- ^ Coria, R. A.; Chiappe, L. M.; Dingus, L. (2002). "A new close relative of Carnotaurus sastrei Bonaparte 1985 (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 22 (2): 460. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0460:ANCROC]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 131148538.
- ^ Dingus, Lowell; Chiappe, Luis M.; Coria, Rodolfo A. (2007). "Chapter 8 – What Other Dinosaurs Lived at Auca Mahuevo?". Dinosaur Eggs Discovered!: Unscrambling the Clues. Twenty-First Century Books. p. 83. ISBN 978-0822567912.