Abelisaurus

Abel's lizard

• Abel · Surname (Spanish) · Roberto Abel, discoverer of the fossil
• sauros · Greek · lizard

Abelisaurus was named in honour of Roberto Abel, who discovered the skull in Patagonia, Argentina, and the Museo Municipal "Ernesto Bachmann" that he directed. The name combines his surname with the Greek word for lizard. It is the type genus of the theropod family Abelisauridae.

Named by

Bonaparte and Novas

Year named

1985

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stages

Campanian – Maastrichtian

Found in

Anacleto Formation, Río Negro Province, Patagonia, Argentina

Known from a single, nearly complete skull; the rest of the skeleton is unknown. Its age is often given as Campanian, though some sources extend it into the Maastrichtian.