Fun Ekrixinatosaurus Facts For Kids

The Ekrixinatosaurus dinosaur was a giant abelisaurid with a large head and robust limbs. A large partial skull, anteroposteriorly depressed cervical vertebrae, and robust, proportionately short hindlimbs are among its traits.

Some speculated that this specimen was the biggest abelisaurid yet known, exceeding the Carnotaurus type.

Other scholars then pointed out that this estimate was solely based on the skull's absolute size, neglecting that limb bone comparisons plainly demonstrate that Carnotaurus was larger, implying that Carnotaurus was bigger than Ekrixinatosaurus though with a proportionally smaller head.

As we will see below, there is much else to discuss in the description and discovery of this Novas classification.

If you like reading about the discovery and classification of this Novas dinosaur, then read on! If you would like to spice up your knowledge of this larger-than-life species of animals, then also read on all about the Heterodontosaurus and Orodromeus.

Ekrixinatosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Ekrixinatosaurus'?

The word Ekrixinatosaurus is pronounced 'Ek-riks-in-at-oh-sore-us'.

What type of dinosaur was an Ekrixinatosaurus?

Ekrixinatosaurus novasi (Calvo et al 2004) or the 'explosion-born lizard' is an abelisaurid theropod genus.

In which geological period did the Ekrixinatosaurus roam the earth?

During the Late Cretaceous period, Ekrixinatosaurus novasi, whose specific title credits Dr. Fernando Novas for the contributions to the research of abelisaurid theropods, lived between 100-97 mya. Argentina has discovered its fossils.

When did the Ekrixinatosaurus become extinct?

The Ekrixinatosaurus (indicating explosion-born lizard) were large carnivorous dinosaurs from Argentina (South America), estimated to be the largest abelisaurid known to date. The Late Cretaceous period came to an end 70 million years ago. This is usually when it is assumed that the Ekrixinatosaurus novasi became extinct.

Where did an Ekrixinatosaurus live?

The Gasoducto del Pacifico corporation found these animals in 2004 while installing a piece of the pipeline. Karen Moreno, David Rubilar-Rogers, and Jorge Calvos, first described Ekrixinatosaurus.

The Candeleros Formation was home to the Ekrixinatosaurus. The holotype and the Baja del Aelo formation were discovered in the county of Neuquén's eastern region. Unfortunately, there has only been one specimen found.

What was an Ekrixinatosaurus's habitat?

The Candeleros area was a braided river system and extensive sand deposits around the swamp area. Many fish, tuataras, snakes, and early mammals lived in this habitat in the wet swamp area and the more semi-arid landscape. However, they likely spent the majority of this abelisaurid having a carnivore diet in the desert regions of its ecosystem.

Who did an Ekrixinatosaurus live with?

The Ekrixinatosaurus may have hunted in family groups to hunt down larger prey, although there is no fossil evidence to support this theory.

How long did an Ekrixinatosaurus live?

Due to a lack of information about this creature (even if we look towards the Ekrixinatosaurus museum), it is impossible to nail down a date. Comparisons including Ekrixinatosaurus vs. Indominus rex, Ekrixinatosaurus size vs. Giganotosaurus, and the Ekrixinatosaurus vs. Tyrannosaurus have been drawn to narrow down on a lifespan for this creature, but to no avail.

How did they reproduce?

These theropods, from fossils discovered in Neuquén Province (northwestern Patagonia), were oviparous and reproduced by laying eggs. Thus, they would have most likely looked after their children as well.

Ekrixinatosaurus Fun Facts

What did an Ekrixinatosaurus look like?

The Ekrixinatosaurus skull was rectangular that proportionally smaller, and deeper than the skulls of most other giant carnivorous dinosaurs. The jaws of this Theropoda Dinosauria (family: Abelisauridae) curled upward as well, a feature shared by several other abelisaurs.

The Carnotaurus does not have an entire maxilla, but its preserved size is comparable to that of Ekrixinatosaurus, according to research.

They were sculpted with multiple little holes and spikes, just like other abelisaurids. The maxilla was small and included 16 alveoli, some of which had short teeth with upper and lower serrations that were flat laterally.

How many bones did an Ekrixinatosaurus have?

The fossil was discovered in Neuquén of northwest Patagonia and a few other provinces, distributed over a large area. Because it featured portions of the Ekrixinatosaurus skeleton that were undiscovered, unpublished, or badly maintained in other specimens, the remains of Ekrixinatosaurus tried to fill in more details concerning abelisaur anatomy.

The holotype skeleton was misshaped but highly preserved. It's hard to know how many bones these cretaceous dinosaurs had because there's no accountability for their entire skeleton.

How did they communicate?

Due to the lack of discovery and description of this dinosaur, since Valieri found it, there has been no history of research into the noises it makes. Unless research picks this up soon, it is highly unlikely that any new information will surface.

How big was an Ekrixinatosaurus?

The Ekrixinatosaurus size (wildlife length) was between 33-36 ft (10-11 m). Earlier it was measured at 24.4 ft (7.4 m). In contrast, the Arkansaurus length was estimated at 15 ft (4.5 m). Therefore, Ekrixinatosaurus are much larger than Arkansaurus.

How fast could an Ekrixinatosaurus move?

The hind limbs of these abelisaurids described by Fernando E. Novas were smaller than their relatives, symbolizing that they couldn’t move particularly quickly. Although, they had a huge skull and even more powerful limbs than other theropods of their size, allowing them to turn faster than other theropods of their size.

How much did an Ekrixinatosaurus weigh?

The weight of this animal (abelisaurids) with boxy skull and jaws, serrated teeth, and had carnivorous diet was about 1.5-4 ton (1360.7-3628.7 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

These abelisaurids remain found in the town of Añelo (Bajo de Añelo region) of Neuquén Province (northwestern Patagonia) during a pipeline project, have no specific name for male and female.

What would you call a baby Ekrixinatosaurus?

The baby of this Theropoda described by Dr. Fernando Novas doesn't have any special title.

What did they eat?

The Ekrixinatosaurus (family: Abelisauridae) preferred diet was carnivorous, as demonstrated by its serrated teeth and skull/jaw structure, just as the other abelisaurids. They were effective ambush predators because of their ability to turn swiftly.

How aggressive were they?

Due to a lack of research into these abelisaurids of Late Cretaceous time, it is impossible to determine if they were aggressive. However, since they were predator animals, it is assumed they did have some level of aggression.

Did you know...

According to research, these theropods are now the largest of all abelisaurid specimens. They have large heads and are known to be a powerful predator and scavengers, and have the ability to protect themselves from many other predators capable of hurting them.

A newly discovered Abelisaurid species of the Abelisaurid family was found in the period of northwestern Turkana's sandstone.

How did the Ekrixinatosaurus get its name?

Ekrixinatosaurus novasi is a genus of dinosaurs who lived through the Late Cretaceous. The Ekrixinatosaurus novasi of South America was first described by paleontologists of Argentina Jorge Calvo, including Chilean paleontologists David Rubilar-Rogers with Karen Moreno (2004).

When an explosion discovered the remains of this enormous theropod, it was given the name. The name of the creature also comes from Dr. Fernando Novas' contributions to the study of abelisaurs.

The fossils were discovered over a 161.4 sq ft (15 sq m) area in Argentina's Candeleros Formation, a geologic formation in Neuquén, Ro Negro, and Mendoza.

This formation, which comprises red beds where other notable animals have been discovered, dates from 100 to 97 mya. The discovery was made during excavations for the construction of a pipeline project by the Gasoducto del Pacífico  Corporation in Bajo del Añelo.

How big was the Ekrixinatosaurus compared to other dinosaurs?

The Ekrixinatosaurus novasi theropod from the Late Cretaceous, explosion-born lizard, was a large carnivorous dinosaur from Argentina, estimated to be the greatest abelisaurid known to date. It can grow up to 29.5-33 ft (9-10 m) in length.

According to research, it was the largest abelisaur, but in 2016, it averaged 24.4 ft (7.4 m) in length. Still, recent estimates suggest that it was much larger, as large as 36 ft (11 m) long (possibly an estimate).

The previous record for the largest Carnotaurus was 25.5 ft (7.7 m). Pycnonemosaurus currently holds the title of biggest abelisaur (approximately 29.5 ft (9 m) long).

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

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

Main image by Ghedoghedo.

Second image by Ilya0068.