Taurovenator fossil map
Where fossils of Taurovenator have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 115 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 115 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Theropods |
|---|---|
| Lived | 110.1–106.3 million years ago (Albian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Family | Carcharodontosauridae |
| Named by | Motta et al. 2016 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Argentina |
| Rock formations | Huincul |
About Taurovenator
Taurovenator, from Latin taurus, meaning "bull", and venator, meaning "hunter", is an extinct genus of large, probable carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaurs that lived in what is now Argentina during the Albian age of the Early Cretaceous, around 106.2 million years ago. Initially only known from a single postorbital skull bone described from the Huincul Formation, Taurovenator violantei was named in 2016 by Argentine paleontologist Matias Motta and colleagues. Debate came about over the validity of the species, with some paleontologists arguing that Taurovenator was synonymous with the earlier-named carcharodontosaurid Mapusaurus. However, the 2024 description of a well-preserved partial skull and skeleton referrable to Taurovenator aided in distinguishing the two taxa.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Taurovenator (revision 1378652709), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q24716965.
