Fun Pycnonemosaurus Facts For Kids

The Pycnonemosaurus dinosaur was an Abelisaurid and carnivorous Theropod that is thought to have existed in the Cretaceous period, in the Maastrichtian and Turonian stages. The Pycnonemosaurus went extinct close to 70 million years ago. This Theropod dinosaur was found in conglomerate red sandstones of Mato Grosso's Cabembe Unit in Brazil. The locality it was discovered in is called Fazenda Roncador which is near Paulo Creek and the Upper Cretaceous Bauru formation and the Adamantina formation. The 'Roncador' comes from the name of the farm where a man called Llewellyn Ivo Price discovered fossil remains. The Pycnonemosaurus is the biggest Theropod dinosaur to have ever walked Brazil and South America. The Pycnonemosaurus inhabited terrestrial and forested areas. It was a quick and vicious predator, preying on other dinosaurs like Sauropodomorphs, Crocodylomorphs, and Dromaeosaurs. It would use features like its sharp teeth to violently swing its smaller prey until it died. The Pycnonemosaurus, being a Theropod dinosaur, was bipedal.

For more relatable content, check out these Crichtonsaurus facts and Ludodactylus facts for kids.

How do you pronounce 'Pycnonemosaurus'?

Pycnonemosaurus is pronounced as 'Pik-no-ne-mo-sore-us'.

What type of dinosaur was a Pycnonemosaurus?

The Pycnonemosaurus dinosaur (translation: 'forest lizard') was a carnivorous theropod.

In which geological period did the Pycnonemosaurus roam the Earth?

The Pycnonemosaurus dinosaur existed during Turonian and Maastrichtian stages of the Cretaceous period.

When did the Pycnonemosaurus become extinct?

The Pycnonemosaurus dinosaur (translation: 'forest lizard') went extinct 70 million years ago.

Where did a Pycnonemosaurus live?

The Pycnonemosaurus (type species Pycnonemosaurus nevesi) was discovered in conglomerate sandstones of the Cabembe Unit in Mato Grosso, Brazil. The locality it was discovered in is called Fazenda Roncador which is near Paulo Creek and the Upper Cretaceous Bauru formation and the Adamantina formation.

It walked lands that are today known as South America and Brazil.

What was a Pycnonemosaurus's habitat?

The Pycnonemosaurus dinosaur inhabited terrestrial and forest habitats.

Who did a Pycnonemosaurus live with?

The Pycnonemosaurus dinosaur (translation: 'forest lizard') was most probably a lonely predator. There is no evidence to confirm this; it may have lived with other conspecific dinosaurs in groups as well.

How long did a Pycnonemosaurus live?

Being a carnivorous Abelisaurid and Theropod, the Pycnonemosaurus probably lived at the lower end of the 30-80 year range.

How did they reproduce?

The Pycnonemosaurus Theropods reproduced by mating and laying eggs like other dinosaurs. These dinosaurs that lived 70 million years ago most probably showed no parental care.

What did a Pycnonemosaurus look like?

Only fragmentary remains of the Pycnonemosaurus have been found. None of the elements seem to be preserved well, and the surface of the bone is also abraded. This indicates that the elements had been exposed partially after discovery and before entering them into a collection to study. The type specimen is kept in Rio de Janeiro at the Museum of Earth Sciences, and it consists of fragmentary material of seven vertebrae that are caudal, five incomplete teeth, a right tibia, the distal end of the right pubis, and the right fibula's distal articulation. The cnemial crest on the tibia is hatchet-shaped. The crest, along with a small pubic foot, differentiates the Pycnonemosaurus species from other Abelisaurs. Caudal vertebrae do show features of an Abelisaurid such as a transverse process that is fan-shaped as well as a cranial projection. Even then, these vertebrae projections which are awl-like cannot be compared with closely related Abelisaurids like the Aucasaurus. Projections diminish as they go in the direction of the distal caudals. All fossil remains found of the Pycnonemosaurus are considered to belong to just one full individual. The Pycnonemosaurus is thought to have been a bipedal Theropod.

The Pycnonemosaurus was formerly thought to be smaller, but now research has it as one of the biggest members of the family Abelisauridae so far.

How many bones did a Pycnonemosaurus have?

The exact number of bones that a Pycnonemosaurus had is not known yet.

How did they communicate?

The exact manner in which these Pycnonemosaurus dinosaurs communicated is not known, but like other carnivorous Theropods and Abelisaurids, they probably used sounds and visual signals. There may have been displays to claim territory or mating rights. Sounds such as hoots, grunts, and bellows may have been utilized by the Pycnonemosaurus.

How big was a Pycnonemosaurus?

The Pycnonemosaurus was 23-30.5 ft (7-9.3 m) in length and 8.2 ft (2.5 m) in height, which makes it three to five times bigger than the Oryctodromeus.

How fast could a Pycnonemosaurus move?

The Pycnonemosaurus dinosaur was a carnivore and a Theropod, so it probably moved at speeds up to 27 mph (43.4 kph).

How much did a Pycnonemosaurus weigh?

The Pycnonemosaurus dinosaur weight estimate is around 2,600-8,000 lb (1,179.3-3,628.7 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

Males and females of the Pycnonemosaurus genus and species did not have concrete names. It is technically correct, however, to apply suffixes 'saurus' and 'saura' to male and female dinosaurs respectively.

What would you call a baby Pycnonemosaurus?

A baby Pycnonemosaurus would be called a nestling or a hatchling.

What did they eat?

These Pycnonemosaurus Theropods were carnivorous and they ate lizards, early mammals, insects, and other dinosaurs like Sauropodomorphs, Dromaeosaurs, and small Crocodylomorphs.

How aggressive were they?

Pycnonemosaurus dinosaurs, being carnivores and scavengers, were probably very aggressive. They were dangerous to their prey, which included other dinosaurs, and towards conspecifics for mating and territorial rights.

Did you know...

The Pycnonemosaurus type species Pycnonemosaurus nevesi was described formally by Campos and Kellner in the year 2002. Going further back, Llewellyn Ivor Price is known to have visited the 'Roncador' farm in Mato Grosso several times to collect dinosaur bones. These Pycnonemosaurus skeletal remains that were formed 70 million years ago were discovered by the owner Max de Barros Erhart along with his workers near the site of Paulo Creek. The most significant specimen was that of a huge Abelisaurid Theropod in the form of a fragmentary Pycnonemosaurus skeleton, which was discovered close to many other Sauropod and Titanosaur bones in the Adamantina Formation and the Upper Cretaceous Bauru Group.

In the movie Jurassic World, the Pycnonemosaurus dinosaur was utilized to create the Indominus rex hybrid.

The Pycnonemosaurus was itself a dangerous predator. It is unlikely that it faced many threats from other dinosaurs, except maybe dinosaurs with scavenging features who may have fed upon it after it died.

The exact number of teeth that the Pycnonemosaurus had is contentious but its teeth are known to have been sharp enough to grab a hold of prey and shake it until it was torn apart and dead.

One of the main talking points of the Pycnonemosaurus vs Carnotaurus debate is that the Carnotaurus had a muscular neck and horns on its head. The length of the Carnotaurus was almost identical to the length of the Pycnonemosaurus. The Carnotaurus was also bipedal.

How did the Pycnonemosaurus protect itself?

The Pycnonemosaurus dinosaur was often the one that other creatures needed to defend themselves from. If needed, the Pycnonemosaurus would have used its big size and small but sharp teeth to fight with a competitor or a related predator.

Did the Pycnonemosaurus take care of their babies?

There is no information on whether these Pycnonemosaurus dinosaurs provided any form of family or parental care to their babies.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other dinosaurs from our Chilantaisaurus surprising facts and Yinlong fun facts for kids pages.

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

Second image by Demetrius Will Lima.

*We've been unable to source an image of a Pycnonemosaurus and have used an image of a Ceratosaurus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a Pycnonemosaurus, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected].