Majungasaurus

Majungasaurus was a formidable abelisaurid theropod that ruled Madagascar during the final years of the dinosaur age, from about 70 to 66 million years ago. Like its relatives, it possessed the characteristic abelisaurid features: a short, deep skull, tiny forelimbs even more reduced than those of Tyrannosaurus, and a single rounded horn protruding from the top of its head. This horn, along with thickened bone on the skull roof, initially led some researchers to mistake skull fragments for those of a pachycephalosaur.

What makes Majungasaurus truly remarkable is the compelling evidence that it practiced cannibalism. Multiple Majungasaurus bones bear tooth marks that precisely match the distinctive teeth of Majungasaurus itself. Whether this represents active hunting of its own species or opportunistic scavenging remains debated, but such direct evidence of dinosaur-on-dinosaur consumption within the same species is exceptionally rare in the fossil record.

The first fossils were discovered in 1896 by a French expedition to Madagascar, though fragmentary remains caused considerable taxonomic confusion for decades. The species wasn't properly understood until spectacular skull material emerged in the 1990s from the Maevarano Formation. Today, Majungasaurus is one of the most completely known theropods from the Southern Hemisphere, with numerous specimens including nearly complete skulls and much of the skeleton.

Majungasaurus lived alongside the bizarre herbivore Rapetosaurus and the crocodilian Mahajangasuchus in a semi-arid floodplain environment. Its relatively robust build and powerful jaws suggest it was a dominant apex predator, well-adapted to taking down large prey — including, occasionally, members of its own species.