Fun Concavenator Facts For Kids

The Concavenator is a genus of Theropod dinosaur that was known to live during the early Cretaceous period. This extinct dinosaur was present in the Barremian age. It has a type species with the name Concavenator corcovatus.

The meaning of this name is 'Cuenca hunter with a hump'. These dinosaurs were named for the distinguishing hump on the back located in front of the hips. The hump features two hills.

The first one is taller than the second one and more visible. A U-shape features in the middle.

Some scientists presume that these dinosaurs had quill knobs on their arms. This is similar to modern-day birds and it is thought that these dinosaurs had feathers. However, feathers probably did not cover the whole body as the body also had scales.

Many scientists, while giving the description of the species, believed that humps were probably used for body heat generation or storing body fat. This would come in handy in cool temperatures. Some even believe that these features helped in communication while in nature.

These dinosaurs were known to live in Spain as the Concavenator skeleton has been retrieved from the Las Hoyas fossil site of Spain.

The fossil was discovered by paleontologists José Luis Sanz, Francisco Ortega, and Fernando Escaso from the Autonomous University of Madrid and the National University of Distance Education. History shows that the hunchback hunter from Cuenca probably was bipedal and was carnivorous in nature.

The name given to the species of dinosaurs respects both the place it was found and also the unique features of this species and how it has gone through an evolution.

For more relatable content, check out these Hesperonychus facts and Neuquensaurus fun facts for kids.

Concavenator Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Concavenator '?

The pronunciation of the name Concavenator is 'con-cav-eh-nate-or'.

What type of dinosaur was a Concavenator?

These Concavenator corcovatus were Theropod dinosaurs living in the early Cretaceous age in the modern-day area of Spain. Only one fossil has been discovered to date by Sanz, Ortega, and Escaso. These dinosaurs with humpbacks were known to be carnivores and were often related to Spinosaurids with both of them featuring a hump or two at the back.

In which geological period did the Concavenator roam the Earth?

The species Concavenator corcovatus was known to live in the world in the early Cretaceous period. They were known to live during the Barremian age. The first fossil was found on September 8, 2010.

When did the Concavenator become extinct?

These Theropod dinosaurs are known to have lived in the world in the early Cretaceous period and are known to have gone extinct around 130 million years ago. They existed from 130 million years ago to the Barremian age.

Where did a Concavenator live?

We know that these dinosaurs were found in Europe. The meaning of the name 'Cuenca hunter with a hump' describes the modern-day location where these dinosaurs were found in history.

Only one specimen has been found to date at the Las Hoyas fossil site of Spain. This discovery was a milestone as no one knew about these dinosaurs before and José Luis Sanz, Francisco Ortega, and Fernando Escaso, the paleontologists, were the ones that discovered and described the species.

What was a Concavenator's habitat?

The habitat of these dinosaurs was woodlands of western Europe. They were terrestrial beings that probably were bipedal as seen from the many illustrations of these dinosaurs.

Who did a Concavenator live with?

No information is available regarding the company of these dinosaurs. They probably lived alone or in pairs and hunted together.

How long did a Concavenator live?

We don't know how long these dinosaurs lived. The fossil found is not enough to determine the life span of the dinosaur species.

How did they reproduce?

There is no information that features the reproduction of this species of dinosaurs. We know that they were an egg-laying species but the number of eggs is not known. Dinosaurs, in general, used to lay around three to four eggs at a time; however, the egg clutch size could also go up to 15-20 eggs sometimes.  

Concavenator Fun Facts

What did a Concavenator look like?

This was a medium-sized Theropod dinosaur having a unique feature or two that has changed the perception of many scientists all over the world. This was a primitive Carcharodontosaurian dinosaur with two extremely tall vertebrae in front of the hips, shaped like a pointed and narrow crest (like a hump).

This feature is very similar to our modern-day camels with humps.

We don't know the function of these crests or humps yet but some scientists believe that these humps were used to communicate with each other. Some even believe that these humps were used as thermal regulators for cool and hot weather conditions.

It is also said that the hump was colored differently than the body to make the dinosaurs visible from a long range. The hump could grow up to 16 in long.

The first crest was bigger than the second one and a U-shaped trough was in between.

These dinosaurs also had quill knobs on their arms which probably supported small arrays of feathers. This feature is very similar to birds of the current generation with similar feathers.

*We've been unable to source an image of a Concavenator and have used a sketch of a herbivorous dinosaur instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a Concavenator, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.

How many bones did a Concavenator have?

The number of bones is not known for the species. Only one specimen has been found so far.

How did they communicate?

Dinosaurs usually communicate vocally or visually. Some even might show postures to intimidate predators and mates. However, humps on Concavenator dinosaurs were assumed by many scientists to be a mode of communication. The primary feature of those crests is still believed to be for thermal management in cool/hot weather conditions.

How big was a Concavenator?

Scientists believe the Concavenator size is medium and the length of the body is estimated to be around 19.68 ft (6 m). The dinosaur was quite tall for its size and it had an estimated height of 8.2 ft (2.5 m).

How fast could a Concavenator move?

The speed of the species is not known. Some illustrations show the species as bipedal, so if that's the case, the species would have had medium speed. It would not have been very quick.

How much did a Concavenator weigh?

The weight of the species is estimated to be around 4,000 lb (1,814.36 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

Males and females of the species were probably not given different names.

What would you call a baby Concavenator?

There is no information given for the name of the baby of a Concavenator.

What did they eat?

They were known to be carnivorous and probably fed on small/medium-sized dinosaurs of that era.

How aggressive were they?

They were probably a little aggressive.

Did you know...

They probably were adaptive in swimming, diving, and catching fish.

They were probably endemic as their fossil was found in Spain only.

Is Concavenator a Spinosaurid?

It was not a Spinosaurid but humps in both species have similar characteristics.

What environment did the Concavenator live in?

They lived in woodland habitats of Spain.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our Yingshanosaurus facts, or Trinisaura fun facts for kids.

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