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Chenanisaurus
Chenanisaurus (meaning "Sidi Chennane lizard") is an extinct genus of abelisaurid theropod dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Morocco. It is known from a partial dentary (lower jawbone) and several teeth that were found in the phosphate mines of Khouribga, in rocks of the Maastrichtian-aged Ouled Abdoun Basin. Chenanisaurus was described in 2017 by British paleontologist Nicholas Longrich and colleagues. The genus contains a single species, Chenanisaurus barbaricus.
Chenanisaurus is one of the only known African members of Abelisauridae, making it integral to understanding the evolution of the family. Its length is estimated to be around 7–8 m (23–26 ft), making it among the largest known abelisaurids. The dentary of Chenanisaurus is distinct in that it was extremely deep and lightly bowed. The outer surface is ornamented with deep striations, grooves, and rugosities, as in related taxa like Majungasaurus.
Chenanisaurus was among the last living non-avian dinosaurs, existing just one million years prior to the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. It was found in the Ouled Abdoun Basin, which was a marine environment at the time Chenanisaurus lived. Despite this, it is one of several dinosaurs known from the site, living alongside an indeterminate titanosaurian sauropod, the hadrosaurids Ajnabia, Minqaria, and Taleta, and other abelisaurids. As for non-dinosaurs, a host of pterosaurs, mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, fish, and sharks are also known from the Ouled Abdoun Basin.
Fossils of Chenanisaurus were first discovered in the phosphate mines of Couche III, a layer of the Ouled Abdoun Basin located in Sidi Chennane outside of Khouribga in northern Morocco. The remains known of Chenanisaurus consist of a single, incomplete dentary, cataloged as OCP DEK-GE 772 at the Office Cherifien des Phosphates in Khouribga, from one quarry as well as three teeth; two premaxillary teeth from Sidi Daoui and a maxillary tooth from either Sidi Chennane or Sidi Daoui. These two quarries correspond to the Ouled Abdoun Basin, which dates to the upper Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous period.
In 2017, British paleontologist Nicholas Longrich and colleagues described the remains and assigned them to a new genus and species of theropod, which they named Chenanisaurus barbaricus. The generic name Chenanisaurus is derived from Sidi Chennane, where the dentary was found, and the Greek root "sauros" meaning "lizard". The specific name comes from the Greek word "barbaros" meaning "barbaric" and also refers to Barbary, as in the Barbary Coast of Morocco and northwest Africa. The incomplete dentary (OCP DEK-GE 772) was chosen as the holotype (name-bearing) specimen, whereas the premaxillary teeth and maxillary tooth were assigned based on size, traits, and provenance.
The maxillary tooth assigned to Chenanisaurus had previously been described in a 2005 study by French paleontologist Eric Buffetaut and colleagues, which stated the tooth came from an indeterminate abelisaurid theropod. Chenanisaurus was and is the only abelisaurid described from the Maastrichtian of North Africa and is the only named Moroccan abelisaurid. Additionally, the discovery of Chenanisaurus was a surprise since the Ouled Abdoun Basin primarily preserves marine fossils.
Being an abelisaurid theropod, Chenanisaurus was likely a bipedal carnivore. Many abelisaurids preserve extremely small forelimbs and long hind-limbs adapted for running. Chenanisaurus is believed to have been large for an abelisaurid given the size of the holotype dentary and assigned teeth. Longrich and colleagues initial description of Chenanisaurus estimated its length at 7–8 m (23–26 ft), comparable to the size of other large abelisaurids like Carnotaurus and Pycnonemosaurus. Similarly, Buffetaut and colleague's description of the maxillary tooth gave a skull length estimate of 50–60 cm (1.6–2.0 ft) and a body length estimate of 7–8 m (23–26 ft).
The dentary is missing its posterior (back) end and is damaged in several areas. It preserves ten alveoli (tooth positions) with three preserved tooth crowns and four broken crowns. The first tooth was small, a trait observed in other ceratosaurs, the group containing abelisaurids, noasaurids, and other ceratosaurs. Relative to the dimensions of the alveoli, the jaw is deep, implying Chenanisaurus had a proportionately short, tall mandible. This depth is comparable to the mandibles of Carnotaurus and Ekrixinatosaurus, but is to a greater extreme in Chenanisaurus. The dorsal and ventral (top and bottom) margins of the dentary are curved in lateral (side) view, indicating that the mandible was bowed ventrally like in Carnotaurus and other carnotaurines.
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Chenanisaurus
Chenanisaurus (meaning "Sidi Chennane lizard") is an extinct genus of abelisaurid theropod dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Morocco. It is known from a partial dentary (lower jawbone) and several teeth that were found in the phosphate mines of Khouribga, in rocks of the Maastrichtian-aged Ouled Abdoun Basin. Chenanisaurus was described in 2017 by British paleontologist Nicholas Longrich and colleagues. The genus contains a single species, Chenanisaurus barbaricus.
Chenanisaurus is one of the only known African members of Abelisauridae, making it integral to understanding the evolution of the family. Its length is estimated to be around 7–8 m (23–26 ft), making it among the largest known abelisaurids. The dentary of Chenanisaurus is distinct in that it was extremely deep and lightly bowed. The outer surface is ornamented with deep striations, grooves, and rugosities, as in related taxa like Majungasaurus.
Chenanisaurus was among the last living non-avian dinosaurs, existing just one million years prior to the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. It was found in the Ouled Abdoun Basin, which was a marine environment at the time Chenanisaurus lived. Despite this, it is one of several dinosaurs known from the site, living alongside an indeterminate titanosaurian sauropod, the hadrosaurids Ajnabia, Minqaria, and Taleta, and other abelisaurids. As for non-dinosaurs, a host of pterosaurs, mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, fish, and sharks are also known from the Ouled Abdoun Basin.
Fossils of Chenanisaurus were first discovered in the phosphate mines of Couche III, a layer of the Ouled Abdoun Basin located in Sidi Chennane outside of Khouribga in northern Morocco. The remains known of Chenanisaurus consist of a single, incomplete dentary, cataloged as OCP DEK-GE 772 at the Office Cherifien des Phosphates in Khouribga, from one quarry as well as three teeth; two premaxillary teeth from Sidi Daoui and a maxillary tooth from either Sidi Chennane or Sidi Daoui. These two quarries correspond to the Ouled Abdoun Basin, which dates to the upper Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous period.
In 2017, British paleontologist Nicholas Longrich and colleagues described the remains and assigned them to a new genus and species of theropod, which they named Chenanisaurus barbaricus. The generic name Chenanisaurus is derived from Sidi Chennane, where the dentary was found, and the Greek root "sauros" meaning "lizard". The specific name comes from the Greek word "barbaros" meaning "barbaric" and also refers to Barbary, as in the Barbary Coast of Morocco and northwest Africa. The incomplete dentary (OCP DEK-GE 772) was chosen as the holotype (name-bearing) specimen, whereas the premaxillary teeth and maxillary tooth were assigned based on size, traits, and provenance.
The maxillary tooth assigned to Chenanisaurus had previously been described in a 2005 study by French paleontologist Eric Buffetaut and colleagues, which stated the tooth came from an indeterminate abelisaurid theropod. Chenanisaurus was and is the only abelisaurid described from the Maastrichtian of North Africa and is the only named Moroccan abelisaurid. Additionally, the discovery of Chenanisaurus was a surprise since the Ouled Abdoun Basin primarily preserves marine fossils.
Being an abelisaurid theropod, Chenanisaurus was likely a bipedal carnivore. Many abelisaurids preserve extremely small forelimbs and long hind-limbs adapted for running. Chenanisaurus is believed to have been large for an abelisaurid given the size of the holotype dentary and assigned teeth. Longrich and colleagues initial description of Chenanisaurus estimated its length at 7–8 m (23–26 ft), comparable to the size of other large abelisaurids like Carnotaurus and Pycnonemosaurus. Similarly, Buffetaut and colleague's description of the maxillary tooth gave a skull length estimate of 50–60 cm (1.6–2.0 ft) and a body length estimate of 7–8 m (23–26 ft).
The dentary is missing its posterior (back) end and is damaged in several areas. It preserves ten alveoli (tooth positions) with three preserved tooth crowns and four broken crowns. The first tooth was small, a trait observed in other ceratosaurs, the group containing abelisaurids, noasaurids, and other ceratosaurs. Relative to the dimensions of the alveoli, the jaw is deep, implying Chenanisaurus had a proportionately short, tall mandible. This depth is comparable to the mandibles of Carnotaurus and Ekrixinatosaurus, but is to a greater extreme in Chenanisaurus. The dorsal and ventral (top and bottom) margins of the dentary are curved in lateral (side) view, indicating that the mandible was bowed ventrally like in Carnotaurus and other carnotaurines.
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