Rajasaurus

## RajasaurusKing Lizard

* **Bite Force** of 750 - 800 pounds
* Has a single, low horn on its head, likely not extended by keratin or skin

***Rajasaurus*** (King Lizard, named after "Raja", a royal title used by South Asian monarchs) is a genus of abelisaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in the Lameta Formation, India, 70 - 66 million years ago, during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period.

## Paleobiology

### Size and Physique

*Rajasaurus* is a medium-sized, heavily-built abelisaurid that stood 2 meters (6 feet, 7 inches) tall. Original estimates give this theropod a length of 11 meters (36 feet) and a weight of four metric tons (4.4 short tons). However, revised estimates in 2016 yield an even shorter length of 6.6 meters (22 feet). While there is no confirmed revision of weight, due to being similar in size as its close relative, *Majungasaurus*, it is likely that *Rajasaurus* was within a similar weight range, around 750 – 1100 kilograms (1650 – 2430 pounds). As with all abelisaurs, *Rajasaurus* is believed to have a bite force similar to that of *Allosaurus*, around 750 - 800 pounds.

### Rugged Features

Being an abelisaur, *Rajasaurus* had rough skin, made even more rugged by feature scales and osteoderms randomly scattered and distributed all over the body, as well as short arms that appear vestigial, with no wrist bones and immobile elbow joints. Atop its skull, which is tall, short in terms of length, and robust like other abelisaurs, is a single horn that may either be a display feature or a means of slowly pushing or headbutting rivals. This single horn, along with other shared features, shows that *Rajasaurus* is more closely related to *Majungasaurus* of Madagascar rather than *Carnotaurus* of Argentina, reinforcing the belief that the abelisaurs of Africa, Europe, and India diverged into forms distinct from their isolated South American cousins. Unlike *Majungasaurus*, however, the horn of *Rajasaurus* is made of nasal bone more than frontal bone (the inverse is true for *Majungasaurus*), and it wasn't extended by thickened skin or a keratinous sheath, unlike what is believed to be the case for the eyebrow horns of *Carnotaurus*.

### Sounds

As with *Carnotaurus* and *Majungasaurus*, *Rajasaurus* is depicted making guttural crocodile-like sounds and emu-esque vocalizations, producing hisses, huffs, raspy calls, low, rumbling growls and resonant, booming bellows. Much like birds, crocodiles, and other reptiles, *Rajasaurus* does not need to open its mouth in order to vocalize, as vibrating and amplifying the sound of air within the body is sufficient.

### Prehistoric Planet's Depiction

Much like *Isisaurus*, Prehistoric Planet depicts *Rajasaurus* with red skin covered in black splotches, a color scheme that, in tandem with its rugged appearance, helps it blend in with the rocky volcanic environment it is found in. It also has black, shiny nictitating membranes, perhaps to help protect the eyes from the heat of volcanic environment it lives in.

## Paleoecology

### Paleoenvironment

*Main: Lameta Formation*

Main: Lameta Formation

***“ Now the wind has cleared the toxic gases, the door opens... for predators. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Badlands*
*Rajasaurus* lived 67 million years ago in the Lameta Formation in the Gujarat State of India. This area is associated with the Deccan Traps, one of the largest volcanic features on Earth, hence why the abelisaurs are seen hunting in a rugged volcanic field. The Lameta Formation is also interpreted as semi-arid and tropical humid with its fair share of rivers and lakes, explaining the presence of a forest past the jagged terrain of the badlands.

Given the stratigraphic range of the Lameta Formation being around 70 - 66 million years ago, *Rajasaurus* was likely one of the last dinosaur species on Earth, a witness and victim of the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event, a catastrophe that wiped out three-quarters of life on Earth. However, at least one study theorizes that all Indian dinosaurs may have actually been killed off by a massive eruption in the Deccan Traps 350,000 years before the arrival of the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs.

### Hunting Tactics and Feeding Preferences

***“ A Rajasaur. With so many babies out in the open, this could be a feast. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Badlands*
As is expected of most predators, *Rajasauruses* demonstrate some intelligence when it comes to hunting and feeding. The hunters seem to be aware of when the poisonous gases that normally fill the Deccan Traps are momentarily cleared by seasonal winds, taking it as the opportunity to hunt other creatures that also take advantage of this event, like newly-hatched *Isisauruses*. While abelisaurs are believed to be ambush hunters, the *Rajasauruses* forego that tactic entirely when pursuing what they view as plentiful, defenseless prey, putting on decent speed and agility to quickly navigate through the jagged rocks of the rugged, uneven terrain and easily pick off dozens of hatchlings.

The *Rajasauruses* are also shown to be hostile against each other, as shown when two individuals briefly get into a roaring fight, either due to territorial reasons or conflict over who gets priority to feed on the *Isisaurus* hatchlings even while there's still many of them.

## Appearances

### Badlands

In the fifth and last segment of Badlands, *Isisaurus* hatchlings travel through the volcanic wasteland of the Deccan Traps to reach the forest where their mothers came from.

***“ But the journey isn't easy. The winds may have changed in their favor, but many dangers lie ahead for the young Isisaurs. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Badlands*
The poisonous gas that once filled the area was cleared away by seasonal winds, allowing the *Isisaurus* babies to traverse the environment without suffocating. However, there are still dangers around in the form of boiling mud pools, and, with the deadly volcanic fumes no longer around, predators can safely make their way through the volcanic fields.

A *Rajasaurus*, taking opportunity of the event, enters the scene, running around to devour as many *Isisaurus* babies as it can. Some babies sneak around and hide in the cracks within the jagged rocks of cooled lava, and the *Rajasaurus* attempts to dig the crack open in order to get to the juveniles. Soon, another *Rajasaurus* arrives, resulting in more *Isisaurus* hatchlings getting eaten.

Becoming aware of each other's presence, the two hunters get into a squabble, either due to territorial reasons or over feeding priorities, with one briefly driving the other off before continuing to hunt the *Isisauruses*. While they successfully snatch up several more juveniles, a few manage to slip in small crevices where the hunters, for all their speed and agility, cannot reach them. With their prey gone, the hunters leave.

***“ Despite the dangers, hundreds of babies succeed in reaching the forest. Here, they will live together, hidden in the undergrowth, for several years... until finally, they are big enough to join their mothers' herds. With luck, the females among them will return to this crater in years to come to lay eggs of their own. Like many animals that live in such inhospitable places, the risks will be high. But there are also great opportunities in the badlands of the Prehistoric Planet. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Badlands*
Despite the perils of their journey claiming hundreds of juvenile *Isisauruses*, hundreds more manage to reach the forest, ensuring the successful survival of their generation, which would one day return to the volcanic wasteland to lay their young there like their mothers before them. The segment ends with a view of the now-empty caldera where the babies were born in, the view zooming out to once again show the extent of The Deccan, proof of the great risks and opportunities offered by the badlands of the Prehistoric Planet.

### Encounter Dinosaurs

*Rajasaurus* appears as part of an app in Apple Vision Pro called "Encounter Dinosaurs". A snippet can be seen here.

## Gallery

*Rajasaurus* as seen in the pre-visuals*Rajasaurus* blinks, showing its glossy black third eyelid*Rajasaurus* roars at a rival*Rajasaurus* pursues a juvenile *Isisaurus*
## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Allometry and body length of abelisauroid theropods: *Pycnonemosaurus nevesi* is the new king
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Ceratosaur palaeobiology: new insights on evolution and ecology of the southern rulers
3. ↑ *The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs*
4. ↑ Deccan Continental Flood Basalt Eruption Terminated Indian Dinosaurs before the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary