Rajasaurus narmadensis
|
|
Rajasaurus narmadensis is a bipedal theropod dinosaur identified by Chicago paleontologists Paul Sereno and Jeff Wilson. The bones had been excavated in 1983 by a joint Indo-American group, including members from the University of Michigan, University of Chicago, and the Punjab University of Northern India, working in India's Narmada valley.
In a news release from the University of Chicago dated August 13, 2003, Rajasaurus narmadensis is described as a "stocky, carnivorous dinosaur with an unusual head crest... . The discovery represents the first skull ever assembled of a dinosaur of any kind in India." It probably had a small horn. While the skull is incomplete, the pieces found include the jaws and brain case. The specimen is estimated to have been about 25-30 feet long. The bones are dated at 65 million years old, putting them at the end of the Cretaceous.
The name Rajasaurus narmadensis means "regal dinosaur from the Narmada." The bones were found near the Narmada River in western India.