Eoabelisaurus

Eoabelisaurus is a genus of large theropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic period of what is now South America. It was a bipedal carnivore that probably reached 6.5 metres (21 ft) in length.

Eoabelisaurus
Eoabelisaurus holotype fossil, Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Family:	Abelisauridae
Genus:	Eoabelisaurus Pol & Rauhut, 2012
Species:	E. mefi
Binomial name
Eoabelisaurus mefi Pol & Rauhut, 2012

The discovery, which is fairly recent, is important because of its relative completeness. It is the earliest known member of the family Abelisauridae.

Eoabelisaurus Media

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  Holotype skull, seen from the left side, with triangle ruler for scale

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  Size comparison of the Jurassic ceratosaurian theropod Eoabelisaurus mefi. Based on Grillo & Delcourt (2017). Human silhouette from

• Silhouette of man standing and facing forward.svg.
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  Life restoration of Eoabelisaurus mefi

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  Restoration of Eoabelisaurus mefi (Reptilia, Dinosauria, Theropoda, Ceratosauria, Abelisauridae), standing with one foot on a log with body and head turned about 50 degrees to the right.*This restoration is mostly based on the holotype skeleton (MPEF PV 3990).[1] The skull remains of MPEF PV 3990 only known from the orbital and posterior parts, making it difficult to tell whether its muzzle and jaws were as short as those of its Late Cretaceous relatives or not. In this restoration, I have based the head on the restored skull of Rajasaurus.[2] Like Late Cretaceous abelisaurids, Eoabelisaurus possessed hands with four digits.

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  Distal articulated tibia, fibula, astragalus and calcaneum of Eoabelisaurus (MPEF-Pv 3990; Museo Paleontológico ‘Egidio Feruglio’, Trelew, Argentina). Scale bar: 5 cm.

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  Limusaurus runner (flipped)

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  Elaphrosaurus bambergi. Head and hands based on Limusaurus.

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  Ceratosaurus nasicornis DB

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  Masiakasaurus BW (flipped)

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  Silhouette of Eoabelisaurus mefi