Rugops
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rugops | |
|---|---|
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| Conservation status | |
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Fossil
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Superorder: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Infraorder: | Ceratosauria |
| Family: | Abelisauridae? |
| Genus: | Rugops |
| Species: | R. primus |
| Binomial name | |
| Rugops primus Sereno, Wilson & Conrad, 2004 |
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Rugops was a dinosaur related to Carnotaurus. It lived in what is now Africa, about 95 million years ago. It was a medium-sized carnivorous dinosaur, up to 27 feet long.
Rugops lived at the same time Spinosaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, and Deltadromeus, in the Upper Cretaceous.
Rugops was a carnivore, with weak jaws and small teeth. It may have been a scavenger, feeding on dead animals. It also may have preyed on sauropods, such as Paralititan and Aegyptosaurus, and ornithopods, such as Ouranosaurus. The name "Rugops" means "wrinkled face." The bony wrinkles on its snout may have helped to support a structure, such as horny crest or a wattle, like on a rooster or a turkey.
