Abelisaurus
| Abelisaurus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 80 Ma |
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| Reconstruction of the Abelisaurus skull with original bones of the holotype. Scale = 10 cm | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Abelisauridae |
| Clade: | †Brachyrostra |
| Tribe: | †Carnotaurini |
| Genus: |
†Abelisaurus Bonaparte & Novas, 1985 |
| Type species | |
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†Abelisaurus comahuensis Bonaparte & Novas, 1985 |
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Abelisaurus (/əˌbɛlᵻˈsɔːrəs/; "Abel's lizard") is a genus of predatory abelisaurid theropod dinosaur during the Late Cretaceous Period (Campanian) of what is now South America. It was a bipedal carnivore that probably reached about 7.4 meters in length, although this is uncertain as it is known from only one partial skull.
Coining the type species Abelisaurus comahuensis, both genus and species were named and described by Argentine paleontologists José Bonaparte and Fernando Emilio Novas in 1985. The generic name recognizes Roberto Abel as the discoverer of the type specimen, and also as the former director of the provincial Museum of Cipolletti in Argentina, where the specimen is housed. It also incorporates the Greek σαυρος/sauros, meaning 'lizard'. The specific name comahuensis honors the Comahue region of Argentina, where the fossil was found.
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