In Depth
Chenanisaurus is a genus of abelisaurid dinosaur that lived in North Africa towards the end of the Cretaceous period. Chenanisaurus is named from the description of a partial lower jaw, and while this does not give us much to go on, it does reveal a few things. While the jaw is incomplete, it is that of an abelisaurid dinosaur, and comparable in size to other large abelisaurid dinosaurs. This jaw alone suggests that Chenanisaurus grew to at least seven meters long, maybe more, though precise details cannot be certain front the jaw alone. The jaw is also proportionately high to what its complete length would have been, showing adaptation for a very high bite force. The holotype bone of Chenanisaurus was found in marine sediment, showing that this individual had been swept out to sea.
Further Reading
- An abelisaurid from the latest Cretaceous (late Maastrichtian) of Morocco, North Africa. - Cretaceous Research 76:40-52. - N. R. Longrich, X. Pereda-Suberbiola, N.-E. Jalil, F. Khaldoune & E. Jourani - 2017.
