Masiakasaurus

Masiakasaurus is a genus of small predatory theropod dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. In Malagasy, masiakameans "vicious"; thus, the genus name means "vicious lizard". The type species, Masiakasaurus knopfleri, was named after the musician Mark Knopfler, whose music inspired the expedition crew. It was named in 2001 by Scott D. Sampson, Matthew Carrano, and Catherine A. Forster. Unlike most theropods, the front teeth of M. knopfleri projected forward instead of straight down. This unique dentition suggests that they had a specialized diet, perhaps including fish and other small prey. Other bones of the skeleton indicate that Masiakasaurus were bipedal, with much shorter forelimbs than hindlimbs. M. knopfleri reached an estimated adult body length of around 2 metres (6 ft 7 in).[1]
Masiakasaurus lived around 70 million years ago, along with animals such as Majungasaurus, Rapetosaurus, and Rahonavis. Masiakasaurus was a member of the group Noasauridae, small predatory ceratosaurs found primarily in South America.
Category:Dinosaurs
Category:Animals
Category:Creatures
Category:Late cretaceous dinosaurs
Category:Abelisaurs
Category:Dinosaurs of india and madagascar
Category:Maevarano fauna
Category:Fossil taxa described in 2001
Category:Prehistoric animals of madagascar
Category:Maastrichtian life
Category:Taxa named by Scott D. Sampson
Category:Taxa named by Catherine Forster