Deltadromeus Teeth

Deltadromeus ("delta runner") was a carnivorous abelisaur from Northern Africa. This fearsome African meat-eater had powerful, yet unusually slim, hind limbs, suggesting that it was a swift and deadly killer. It lived in the Late Cretaceous period, about 95 million years ago. It was one the longest carnivorous dinosaurs, and may have grown up to 13.3 meters (44 ft) long, about the length of Giganotosaurus (though it weighed in at an estimated 3.5 tons, making it more slender than the giant carnosaur). Deltadromeus skeletons have been found with those of the shorter but more massive Carcharodontosaurus, and it may have lived along side the larger Spinosaurus. The name Deltadromeus agilis, meaning "swift delta runner", comes from the fact that this dinosaur was built for running and may have been unusually fast for a predator of its size, and that its remains were found in a fossilized river delta. Deltadromeus was originally described as a large coelurosaur related to Dryptosaurus, but more recent studies show it was actually an abelisaur, a gigantic member of the noasaurid family.

Last Updated 08/27/2008