Rugops

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

Overview: North Africa, some ninety-five million years ago, was one of the most dangerous regions on the planet, being home to a wide array of large and powerful theropod dinosaurs. Some of the region’s top predators included Carcharodontosaurus and Spinosaurus, but there were a number of somewhat smaller, mid-tier predators too. Rugops was one such theropod, measuring around five meters in length. It likely preyed upon smaller animals, including the young of other dinosaurs, but it also likely scavenged carcasses. The surrounding environment was relatively lush, supporting an array of different herbivores, dinosaurian and non-dinosaurian. Sauropods such as Rebbachisaurus and Aegyptosaurus were present in this environment, though adults were far too large to be preyed on by Rugops. Carcharodontosaurus and its kin were the main threat to sauropods.

Rugops was formally described as a genus in 2004, based on a decently preserved skull, discovered in the Echkar Formation of Niger. To this day, this original holotype remains the only specimen ever found of this dinosaur, but we have enough to get a decent idea as to what it was. Paleontologists classify Rugops as a ceratosaur, specifically within the family Abelisauridae. Based on this, we can make inferences as to what Rugops would’ve looked like. Abelisaurids tended to have remarkably tiny, almost useless arms and short, but deep jaws. The latter trait is readily visible on the described material. Also visible is a bumpy, wrinkled texture of bone running over its snout, which inspired the creature’s generic name, meaning “wrinkled face”. This surface is thought to have supported some kind of keratinous covering in life, possibly for display purposes or for added protection across the head.