Viavenator: Research Database
Theropoda · Cretaceous · Unknown
Research Note: Viavenator was a theropoda from the Cretaceous of Unknown, providing important data on prehistoric life and ecosystem dynamics.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Filippi Méndez Gianechini 2018: Viavenator and related taxa Cretaceous Research | Confirmed | A | 2018 | Fossil | Filippi Méndez Gianechini, Cretaceous Research | Taxonomy |
Paulina-Carabajal Filippi 2018: Viavenator and related taxa Cretaceous Research | Confirmed | B | 2018 | Fossil | Paulina-Carabajal Filippi, Cretaceous Research | Taxonomy |
What We Still Do Not Know About Viavenator
- Complete skeletal morphology and ecological role.
- Phylogenetic relationships within Theropoda.
- Distribution and evolutionary history.
In Depth
Named in 2016 from a single specimen, Viavenator is another of the growing number of South American abelisaurid dinosaurs that are known to us. At a glance Viavenator does not seem to be anything special apart from being another abelisaur, however the authors of the paper describing this dinosaur have identified a combination of features within the known skeleton that indicate that Viavenator may actually be a transitional form, linking earlier abelisaurids of the Cenomanian and Turonian eras, with the later abelisaurids of the Campanian.
Out of all the South American abelisaurids, Viavenator has been speculated to be more closely related to genera such as Carnotaurus, Abelisaurus, Aucasaurus, Pycnonemosaurus and Quilmesaurus. Like its relatives, Viavenator would have been a predator of other animals, and given the modest size of the holotype individual, a hunter of small to medium dinosaurs.
Further Reading
- A new brachyrostran with hypertrophied axial structures reveals an unexpected radiation of latest Cretaceous abelisaurids. Cretaceous Research 60:209-219. - L. S. Filippi, A. H. M�ndez, R. D. Ju�rez Valieri & A. C. Garrido - 2016.
