Introduction:
Majungasaurus meaning Mahajanga Lizard is one of the many known Abelisauridae from Africa, specifically Madagascar. It is a really special dinosaur as it is one of the very Late Cretaceous abelisaurs found in an island ecosystem and it helps us know how a prehistoric island ecosystem was like. Not just that but it has a very complicated taxonomic history and it was placed in many different dinosaur families before being placed in the correct lineage. It also had a name called Majungatholus, but that name is now considered a synonym for Majungasaurus. Now that we have good idea about it, let’s learn more about its discovery, biology and more!!
Discovery:
The species, Majungasaurus crenatissimus, was discovered by a French Paleontologist named Charles Deperet in the year of 1896 in the northwestern part of Madagascar in the Maevarano Formation. Although it was discovered a long time ago, Charles described it as a species of Megalosaurus and named it Megalosaurus crenatissimus. This is where the taxonomic problem started.
To be fair, he only did find a couple teeth, claw and a bit of vertebrae and the field of paleontology was not highly developed at that time as well as Megalosaurus was thought as a waste basket taxon where you can just put in any dinosaur fossils which are too fragmentary to identify until re-examined at a later date.
Deperet later reassigned to Dryptosaurus, another wrong dinosaur species. Later, in 1955, another French Paleontologist, Rene Lavocat, found a jaw bone with teeth which matched with the ones discovered by Charles and it finally came to be known as Majungasaurus. But on the other hand, the top part of the skull was discovered by Hans-Dieter Sues and Phillipe Taquet and described the findings as pachycephalosaur named Majungatholus atopus in 1979.
Later on, in 1993, scientists of State University of New York at Stony Brook and the University of Antananarivo began an expedition to find fossils from Maevarano Formation and found so many fossils that they found species after new species among which, they found fossils for Majungasaurus from different growth stages and after enough research, Majungatholus became Majungasaurus and here we are now with a unique abelisaur, Majungasaurus.
Biology:
As most Abelisaurids, Majungasaurus was a pretty medium-sized theropod reaching the lengths of 5.6 – 7 m (18 – 23 feet), heights of 2 m (6 feet) and weighed around 750 – 1100 kg. Quite heavy for because of its’ stocky build. It did not have any natural predators on the island of Madagascar and it would be the apex predator of Madagascar which is why it could grow up to be a bit more stocky and heavily built unlike most other Abelisauridaes.
Speaking of which, it is so important that Abelisauridae has a subfamily like Brachyrostra, called Majungasaurinae. You already know one of the more famous genus of Brachyrostra, Carnotaurus along with Ekrixinatosaurus & Aucasaurus and as such there were even more Abelisaurids who were not like the Brachyrostra and more like Majungasaurus and thus came the subfamily of Majungasaurinae which contained genus like yours truly Majungasaurus, Arcovenator, Indosaurus, Rahiolisaurus & Rajasaurus. Do let me know in the comments down below if you would like more Species Profile of the Majungasaurinae!!!
Body Build:
Majungasaurus has a lot of unique features that separate it from other abelisaurs like how it is a medium-sized theropod yet it is an apex carnivore of the Cretaceous Madagascar. It hunted down sauropods like Rapetosaurus for sustenance and because of hunting such massive dinosaurs, it had a strong neck and stocky legs unlike other abelisaurs with longer and slender legs.
The dinosaur was very stocky and powerful. And let’s not forget the uni-horn it has on the middle of the head. It is not for what it would have been used but nonetheless, this makes it even more different. It also had an almost bird-like respiration system and this gives us an insight that dinosaurs and birds are in the same family.
Majungasaurus fossils also showcased health problems or pathologies that showed sickness, diseases as well as physical trauma. Majungasaurus specimens discovered showed different growth stages where their skulls became more taller and robust while their eye sockets became smaller. This also means that baby Majungasaurus could have quite big, adorable eyes. Majungasaurus is a very important specimen which shows that its more than what meets the eye and as you look closer, you can uncover more of the prehistoric Earth it lived in.
FAQ:
Is Majungasaurus a tyrannosaurus?
Absolutely no! Majungasaurus is not a Tyrannosaurus or a Tyrannosauridae. Instead it belongs to Abelisauridae clade as I have written above. The anatomy, jaw structure, hands, legs and everything else shows that it clearly belongs in the Abelisauridae clade and there is no doubt about it. This is as concrete as it gets!
Is Majungasaurus related to Carnotaurus?
100% yes! Majungasaurus is related to Carnotaurus as they belong in the same Abelisauridae group. And they both had the same ancestor before the subfamilies they belonged to were separated. Even though they were not closely related, they both belonged in the same group.
How do we know Majungasaurus was a cannibal?
Majungasaurus is believed to be a cannibal because one of the discovery of it’s stomach contents showed another Majungasaurus. Now, this is highly debated because some Majungasaurus show teeth marks on their bones making it seem Majungasaurus attack or eating. It could be from a carcass of Majungasaurus or could have actively hunted each other but there is concrete conclusion. It is highly unlikely because Coelophysis, another cannibal, was thought to be a cannibal. But was shown to be not a cannibal. There is a chance it could or not be a cannibal. But I would like to not show this speculative behavior in media.
Was Majungasaurus fast?
Majungasaurus was definitely not that fast as other Abelisauridaes may have been. It was built more heavily and had a stockier build than most other Abelisaurs. Because it had to hunt down sauropods like Rapetosaurus. It lived in an island ecosystem where it probably did not need to pick up a lot of speed. It exchanged speed for strength.
Is Majungasaurus bigger than Carnotaurus?
No, Majungasaurus is not bigger than Carnotaurus unfortunately but it depends on how you define ‘big’. Is it by height, length or weight? While both have similar lengths, Carnotaurus is taller and a little more heavier than it. In this case, Carnotaurus is definitely bigger than it.
Media:
Funnily enough, even though Majungasaurus would not come up on common ‘My Favorite Dinosaurs’ list. It has quite a lot of media presence. It has appeared in a lot of notable documentaries like Dinosaur Revolution, Planet Dinosaur and the most recent and highly regarded documentary, Prehistoric Planet which is available in Apple TV+. I highly recommend you to watch it, no matter what. And I am not sponsored by them to say this. But as a dinosaur lover, I am required to tell you to watch Prehistoric Planet. It also has an Anime appearance in Dinosaur King.
Majungasaurus has also made an appearance in Jurassic series in games like Jurassic World Evolution 1 & 2. As well as the smartphone games like Jurassic World and Jurassic World Alive. It also has a naming credit in the Jurassic World movie. Its DNA was used to create the hybrid dinosaur, Indominus Rex. So yeah, it seems it is doing quite well in spreading its name.
Merchandise:
Now, before you head out with the knowledge of Majungasaurs. I want to suggest you to take a look at what is available in the merch side. It maybe underrated but their is a lot of stuff to bring home. And make sure to get one before the merch actually goes extinct.
Now, before you go, I hope you learned something about this unique abelisaur and make sure to keep coming back for more new dino and prehistoric info!! You can check out more dinosaurs or other prehistoric creatures post from the Species Profile page!!
