Meet Rajasaurus: The King of India's Dinosaurs
Rajasaurus (meaning "King lizard") is a genus of carnivorous abelisaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of India, containing one species: Rajasaurus narmadensis.
What is Rajasaurus?
The bones were excavated from the Lameta Formation in the Gujarat, probably inhabiting what is now the Narmada River Valley.
Where was it found?
Its length was estimated to be 6.6 metres (22 ft) and it probably weighed 700 kg to 1100kg. Rajasaurus typically had four fingers, short arms, and, to compensate, a heavily-constructed head which was the primary tool for hunting.
Description
The horn of Rajasaurus could have been used for display or head-butting with other Rajasaurus individuals. Head-butting, inferred from the lack of shock-absorbing cancellous bone in the skull, could have been both or either low-motion shoving matches.
Horned Carnivore
Rajasaurus is thought to have been ambush predators, using a bite-and-hold tactic to hunt large prey.
Ambush Predator
Only parts of the Rajasaurus skeleton have been found. But scientists have a fair idea of what it looked like.
Fossils
Rajsaurus is thought to be the apex predator of its ecosystem, given that it weighed almost 3 tons at most.
Apex Predator
In Rahioli, a life-sized statue was erected in honour of its discovery. The Indian theme park Adlabs Imagica features the Rajasaurus River Adventure, a water ride following the fictional "Dr. Roy" through prehistoric times.