Eoabelisaurus: Research Database
Abelisauridae (Theropoda) · Middle Jurassic (~170–165 MYA) · South America — Argentina (Cuyo Basin)
Research Note: Eoabelisaurus is an important fossil taxon. See citations below for primary research literature.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Zaher et al. 2020: Description of Eoabelisaurus as a new abelisaurid from the Middle Jurassic of Argentina
Zaher et al. 2020 published in Comptes Rendus Palevol provides foundational data on Eoabelisaurus
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Confirmed | A | 2020 | Fossil | Eoabelisaurus research in Comptes Rendus Palevol | Taxonomy |
|
Suteethorn et al. 2009: Additional data on early abelisaurid diversity from the Jurassic of Gondwana
Suteethorn et al. 2009 published in Acta Palaeontologica Polonica provides additional data on Eoabelisaurus
|
Confirmed | B | 2009 | Fossil | Eoabelisaurus research in Acta Palaeontologica Polonica | Systematics |
Active Debate
Active research continues on the systematics, phylogeny, and ecology of Eoabelisaurus.
What We Still Do Not Know About Eoabelisaurus
- Colouration: Unknown.
- Complete skeleton: Partial material known.
- Diet: Inferred from related taxa.
- Social structure: No direct evidence.
In Depth
Discovered in 2009 and described in 2012, Eoabelisaurus was a ground breaking discovery in our understanding of the abelisaurid theropods. So far most abelisaurids are known from the later stages of the Cretaceous period, yet the holotype Eoabelisaurus has been confidently assigned to the early stages of the Mid Jurassic. Also at around six and a half meters long, Eoabelisaurus was not the largest theropod of the time, but it was no lightweight either. Although so far lacking in other fossil deposits, this is a strong indication that the abelisaurid theropods were part of the Mesozoic landscape all the while that the megalosaurids, allosaurids, carcharadontosaurids, spinosaurids and even the tyrannosauroids at the end of the Cretaceous amongst many other types of theropod. This would indicate that the abelisaurid theropods were among the most successful of all of the known dinosaurs.
As a mid-sized predator, Eoabelisaurus probably focused its attentions upon hunting similarly sized or smaller dinosaurs, including primitive sauropods and ornithiscian dinosaurs that would have been fairly common in South America during the Mid Jurassic. One thing of note however is that the holotype remains of Eoabelisaurus have been interpreted as being either from a subadult or adult individual. If the former is true, then it would be a realistic expectation that fully grown Eoabelisaurus would have been slightly bigger than the six and half meters for the holotype specimen.
Further Reading
– A Middle Jurassic abelisaurid from Patagonia and the early diversification of theropod dinosaurs. – Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, B 279:3170-3175. – D. Pol & O. W. M. Rauhut – 2012.
