Spectrovenator

Phylogeny: Dinosauria > Saurischia > Theropoda > Neotheropoda > Ceratosauria > Neoceratosauria > Abelisauroidea > Abelisauridae

Overview: Described by paleontologists in 2020, the generic name of Spectrovenator is taken from Latin, intended to mean “ghost hunter”. Spectrovenator was a carnivore and presumed predator, so the name is fitting in that respect, but it was mainly chosen due to the circumstances in which its holotype specimen was found. It was buried beneath the remains of a much larger dinosaur, namely a titanosaurian sauropod, so it was “hidden” and could’ve been easily missed. The name can also be seen in a less literal way, referring to how Spectrovenator fills in a gap within the evolutionary history of its close relatives. Known fossils of the animal include its skull, neck, parts of the spine, pelvis, legs and a portion of the tail. Its upper torso and arms have yet to be found or described in detail. Spectrovenator was overall a remarkable and important find. All known fossils originate from Argentina’s Quiricó Formation.

Researchers classify Spectrovenator within the family Abelisauridae – a part of the larger clade Ceratosauria. Confirmed abelisaurid fossils first appear in the Early Cretaceous, Spectrovenator being an example of such an early and basal member. There are some fossils from the Jurassic that possibly belong to the Abelisauridae, specifically those of a genus called Eoabelisaurus, though it’s more often classified nowadays outside the family in the larger abelisauroid superfamily. Most of the better known abelisaurids lived in the Late Cretaceous, when they were notably successful in the southern hemisphere. They often had tiny arms, deep snouts and grew to be fairly large. In the case of Spectrovenator, however, it was notably small, at between two and three meters long. Its arms are unknown, but they may’ve been longer than those of its later relatives. The skull was longer and less deep than those of some more derived abelisaurids like Carnotaurus.