Fun Bicentenaria Facts For Kids

Bicentenaria (Bicentenaria argentina) roamed the Earth about 90 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period. The holotype skull elements of this species were excavated from Argentina. Did you know that holotype skull elements refer to the skull bones that belong to the specimen based on which the description of the entire species is made? This dinosaur was a carnivore that preyed on smaller dinosaur species along with certain other animals. Its name was first reported in June 2012 in news articles.

Paleontologists discovered that Argentina contained the remains of the species Bicentenaria argentina. Estimates suggest their length to be about 8-10 ft (2.5-3 m). It belonged to the Theropod clade of dinosaurs and was related to the massive Tyrannosaurus, which were found in the later period. After much speculation into the skeletal remains, that are kept in the Argentine Museum of Natural Science in Buenos Aires. Paleontologists have come to the conclusion that these dinosaurs might have led a gregarious lifestyle, similar to theropods. They even concluded that these creatures could have been socializing when they died. Keep on reading to discover more fascinating facts on these dinosaur species.

If you liked reading this article, then do check out the Anabisetia and the Protohadros, here at Kidadl.

How do you pronounce 'Bicentenaria '?

Bicentenaria is pronounced as By-sen-ten-ah-re-ah.

What type of dinosaur was a Bicentenaria?

Bicentenaria argentina was a Theropod dinosaur and because of their structural similarity, with the Coelurosaur species, they are often compared with the ancestral theropods, like the Gigantosaurus and the Abelisaurus, of the much later period.  

In which geological period did the Bicentenaria roam the earth?

Bicentenaria temporal range was the Late Cretaceous period. The research from the Universidad Bicentenaria suggests that these dinosaur species of the Late Cretaceous period represented the evolution of the modern-day birds and were thus, thought to be covered with feathers. Other animal species like the duck-billed Hadrosaurs, Triceratops, marine reptiles, like the Ichthyosaurs, also existed during this geological period.

When did the Bicentenaria become extinct?

Bicentenaria became extinct about 90 million years ago.

Where did a Bicentenaria live?

The skeletal remains of Bicentenaria from 90 million years ago were excavated from Argentina in the Rio Negro region.

What was a Bicentenaria's habitat?

The remains of this carnivore suggest that they inhabited forests and open grasslands.

Who did a Bicentenaria live with?

The holotype skull elements and other skeletal remains excavated from the Bicentenaria temporal range suggest that they might've been social animals.

How long did a Bicentenaria live?

Available information on the lifespan of this dinosaur species, belonging to the Late Cretaceous period, 90 million years ago, is very limited. However, we do know that dinosaurs had a lifespan of about 20-30 years or even more in some species. So, similar longevity can be expected in this dinosaur of Argentina, Bicentenaria.

How did they reproduce?

Due to limited information on the reproductive nature of these dinosaurs, we only know that dinosaurs belonging to the Bicentenaria temporal range, for example, the Centrosaurus and the Chasmosaurus, laid massive eggs, which were amniotic in nature. They were thought to be territorial during their mating season.

What did a Bicentenaria look like?

From the holotype skull remains and the bones excavated from Argentina, Bicentenaria species were thought to possess a slim body. Their bones displayed anatomical similarities with the modern-day birds and also the primitive theropods. Many paleontologists believe that these dinosaurs were covered with feathers all over their bodies and possessed sharp curved teeth and long claws. These curved teeth highlight their carnivorous diet and suggest that they were capable of preying on a variety of animal species, including other dinosaurs. Their name was first reported in a publication in the year 2012, which proposed the fact that this species may have led a gregarious lifestyle and were socializing when they died. Bicentenaria argentina estimates suggest that their body expressed similar characteristic features which were related to the gigantic Tyrannosaurus dinosaurs of the much later period.

How many bones did a Bicentenaria have?

The complete skeleton of the Bicentenaria argentina has not been excavated yet and therefore, we do not know the total number of bones they possessed. Their holotype skull elements and other bone remains were excavated from Argentina, consisting of 130 bones belonging to several individuals of this species. Currently, a wonderful specimen comprising the skeleton of Bicentenaria is kept at the Argentine Museum of Natural Science in Buenos Aires.

How did they communicate?

Although we do not know the exact modes of communication used by members of this species, other species of the Bicentenaria temporal range communicated using their visual and vocal skills. They produced cracked calls and low grunts.

How big was a Bicentenaria?

Bicentenaria argentina estimates suggest that these dinosaurs were small in size with a total body length of about 8-10 ft (2.5-3 m). They were much smaller in size than the Sauroposeidon, which were about 89-112 ft (27-34 m).

How fast could a Bicentenaria move?

We do not know the exact speed of this dinosaur species. However, the Bicentenaria argentina estimates suggest that they were extremely agile, owing to their small and slim body size. This has also been reported in the Coleccion Bicentenaria publication. Their name was first reported along with this information in the paper that was published in 2012.

How much did a Bicentenaria weigh?

The dinosaur that once roamed Argentina, Bicentenaria is thought to be small and slim. Due to incomplete skeletal remains, we do not know the exact weight of this species.

What were the male and female names of the species?

No specific names are given to the male and female dinosaurs of this species. They are called male and female dinosaurs, and their name was first reported in the publication of 2012.

What would you call a baby Bicentenaria?

A baby Bicentenaria argentina can be referred to as a hatchling or a nestling, due to the fact that dinosaurs lay eggs.

What did they eat?

Evidence collected by scientists points towards this dinosaur of Argentina, Bicentenaria being a carnivore that preyed on several smaller dinosaurs.

How aggressive were they?

Although we do not know if they were aggressive in nature, it can be concluded that they were predatory in nature and preyed on several smaller dinosaurs and other animal species as well.

Did you know...

The Bicentenaria name was first reported in a 2012 publication and literally translated to, 'two hundred year anniversary'. This name was given to mark the 200th year of the Argentinian Revolution. The name was first reported by the authors of this publication namely, Raul Ortiz,‭ ‬Diego Pol‭,‭ ‬Federico L.‭ ‬Agnolin,‭ ‬Martin D.‭ ‬Ezcurra,‭ and ‬Fernando E.‭ ‬Novas‭.

The remains excavated from Argentina, comprised three large femur bones of the left limb. Furthermore, these thigh bones were of different sizes.

Several paleontologists suggest that the massive T.Rex evolved from this Bicentenaria species, which involved quite a few primitive Tyrannosaurus species that marked this evolution. Another basal Tyrannosaurid, the Yutyrannus from Asia, also expressed remarkable anatomical similarities with the Bicentenaria species. Therefore, the Bicentenaria is regarded as the grandfather of several species of Tyrannosaurids.

What is the place where fossils of Bicentenaria were discovered called now?

The remains of Bicentenaria argentina were discovered from the Rio Negro region of Argentina and its name was first reported in 2012 publication. This place is now known as the Rio Negro Province.

Is bicentenaria a theropod?

Therapods are a group of dinosaurs that had hollow bones. Their limbs were three-toed and they were classified under the Saurischian group of dinosaurs. Mostly they were carnivores, but some of them evolved to be omnivores as well as insectivores. Bicentenaria argentina estimates suggest that these species were Therapods because of their anatomical similarities with the earlier existing large therapods, for example, the Gigantosaurus.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Tanycolagreus facts, or Stegopelta fun facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Wedding Dinosaurs coloring pages.

Image one by Lucas-Attwell.