Aucasaurus is a type of dinosaur that existed in Argentina around 85 to 80 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period.
This dinosaur belongs to a family called Abelisauridae, which includes other carnivorous dinosaurs. Aucasaurus is considered medium-sized, measuring about 18 to 20 feet long and weighing around 1,500 pounds.
Interestingly, Aucasaurus had very short arms with few fingers. In fact, it had a unique hand structure where two out of four bones were without fingers, and the other two had short fingers without claws. This was quite different from its relative, Carnotaurus.
Most of what we know about Aucasaurus comes from a fairly complete skeleton found in Argentina’s Neuquén Basin. Despite the skeleton being mostly intact, the skull had some damage, leading scientists to wonder if it had been hurt in a fight.
One remarkable finding about Aucasaurus relates to its brain. A study using advanced scanning technology in 2015 showed that its inner ear structure was similar to that of other Abelisaurids. This might suggest Aucasaurus could move its head quite well, possibly helping it hunt for food.
In terms of health, some fossils of Aucasaurus showed that two of its tail bones were fused together. This rare condition seen in dinosaurs is known as block vertebrae and is the earliest example found in non-bird theropods.
There has been some debate among scientists about whether Aucasaurus should be classified as its own species or grouped with other similar dinosaurs, like Abelisaurus. However, many studies now suggest that Aucasaurus is a distinct dinosaur closely related to Carnotaurus.
In summary, Aucasaurus was an interesting dinosaur with unique features that help scientists learn more about its life and its environment millions of years ago.