Carnotaurus (Robustus floridaensis)

**Carnotaurus (Robustus floridaensis)** also referred more simply to as the **Carnotaur** or **Carnotaurus** is a fictitious sub-species of Carnotaurus dinosaur which is featured in the attraction *Dinosaur (Countdown to Extinction)*.

## Description

Carnotaurus Robustus Floridaensis is an extinct species of hyper-carnivorous theropod dinosaur which lived in modern-Florida during the late Cretaceous period. The animal was giant and covered in thick, crocodilian-like red scales while also having two bull-like horns atop its head. The Carnotaur was bipedal and had short clawed hands and a semi-long tail.

### Inaccuracies

Even in being a fictional sub-species of dinosaur, the Floridian carnotaurus is lacking even some of the most basic traits identified in the genus Carnotaurus.

* Carnotaurus evolved and lived in South America which was isolated from North America (and by extension, Florida) by a sea. An animal with such short arms, a stiff tale and large size as Carnotaurus would not be able to migrate across this sea to find its way to Florida (which in the Cretaceous era was located in the Northern hemisphere).
	+ In a 2019 tweet outside of the attraction's text made by imagineer Joe Rohde, he explained that he imagined the Carnotaurus migrated via, "a series of undetected volcanic islands between proto S America and Eastern Noth America".
* In real-life, the skeleton found in the queue for Countdown to Extinction is the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus-Rex with the skull of a Carnotaurus.
* Carnotaurus Robustus Floridaensis is much larger than the real Carnotaurus was with real carnosaurs having been 9-10 feet tall and 26-29 feet long while the Floridian carnosaur has proportions similar to a T-Rex (12-14 feet tall and 40 to 42 feet in length). This is reflected in the, "Robustus" part of the animal's scientific name.
* Real carnosaurs had their horns fused to their skulls while the Robustus floridaensis round horns like a bull, one of which is misshapen, implying that it might grow them from keratin.
* The tail of the Floridian Carnotaurus is more defined and flexible than its South American counterpart.
* Carnotaurus Robustus Floridaensis is shown to be a large and bulky animal while carnotaurus was slender and cheetah-like.
* The body shape of carnotaurus is much more defined, muscular and similar to a T-Rex than actual carnosaurs would have been as real carnosaurs are believed to have had simple, tubular bodies similar to some modern-birds which would have been roughly sausage-like.
* The arms of Carnotaurus Robustus Floridaensis are much longer and more developed than the arms of a Carnotaurus which would have barely (if at all) extended from the sides of their body.
* The snout of historic carnosaurs were incredible short and often described as being similar to maw of a bulldog. Carnotaurus Robustus Floridaensis has a considerably longer and more pronounced maw.

## History

This dinosaur lived in the tropical jungles of Florida during the late Cretaceous period where it served as apex predator. In the final days of the mesozoic era, the Floridian Carnotaur was monitored by human operatives of the Dino Institute who were time-traveling. When a Dino Institute expedition was launched to save a probed iguanodon from extinction, the Carnotaur stalked the humans to try and kill them. The humans barely escaped and left behind the Carnotaur where it was killed by the impact of the Chicxulub meteor.

The Dino Institute discovered a skeleton of the animal at some point either in the late 20th century or early 2000s. They gave the species the name Carnotaurus Robustus Floridaensis; Carnotaurus being a name created for the genus Carnotaurus in 1984 by palaeontologist José Bonaparte meaning, "**Meat-eating bull**" while, "Carnotaurus Robustus Floridaensis" was created by the Dino Institute and meant, "**Robust Carnotaurus of Florida**". This skeleton would be put on display in their museum headquarters in Diggs County. When the Institute's subsidiary ChronoTech created the *CTX Time Rovers*, the Floridian Carnotaurus was seemingly one of the animals which they observed leading to them putting artwork of the animal up in the museum and gift-shop part of their headquarters.

In the early 2000s, the Dino Institute used their time rovers to travel to the late cretaceous and save an iguanodon which they had previously probed from extinction. On this mission, operatives were hunted down by the carnotaurus and barely escaped with their lives thanks to that same iguanodon which they aimed at saving.

## Appearances and allusions

### Dinosaur (Countdown to Extinction)

The Carnotaurus is the main-antagonist of this attraction where it hunts down a Time-Rover full of humans. The Carnotaurus also appears on the sign for the attraction and a skeleton of the creature is featured within the queue next to a plaque explaining its species. There is also a mural of the animal located within the Dino Institute shop. A carnotaurus being engulfed in the explosion from the Chicxulub impactor is featured on the poster for the attraction.

## Connections

### Dinosaur (film)

Two (also inaccurate) carnosaurs resembling appear in this film as supporting antagonists in this film. There are visual differences from them and the attraction's carnosaurs however so it is unknown if they are of the same species.

## Trivia

* Given the sheer number of inaccuracies found within defining and taxonomical traits in the Robustus Floridaensis (along with geographical location), it has been theorized that the Dino Institute's applied name to the creature is a misnomer and the creature is not related to Carnotaurus. According to this theory, the Robustus Floridaensis is a misidentified species of North American theropod dinosaur which simply conversantly evolved some superficial characteristics resembling those found in carnotaurus.
* In his same tweet offering the island migration theory on the Carnotaur's origin, imagineer Joe Rhode also proposed the possibility of Carnotaurus Robustus Floridaensis being a hybrid animal created from cross-species reproduction.
	+ It is most likely if this was true that Carnotaurus Robustus Floridaensis would be a T-Rex/Carnotaur hybrid given its tyrannosaur skeleton.
	+ If this is true then it can be presumed that Carnotaurus Robustus Floridaensis would be incapable of reproduction due to its mutant genetics.

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/Joe\_Rohde/status/1147704324446814209
2. ↑ https://touringplans.com/blog/2019/09/22/everything-you-need-to-know-about-dinosaur/
3. ↑ https://me.me/i/kar-nuh-taw-rus-meaning-meat-eating-bull-the-only-meat-eating-dinosaur-with-substantial-19097617