History Made Every Day™

Name: Majungatholus (Male)

Pronounced: mah-joong-gah-thol-us

Description:
Measuring up to 6 meters (almost 20 feet) long and weighing up to one ton, Majungatholus had had horn-like protrusions (probably brightly colored in the case of the male) covering its skull. One paleontologist described it as having íthe kind of face only a mother could love.

Fighting Style:
Majungatholus used its bony, bumpy head to butt its enemies head-to-head or head-to-flank, or wielded its heavy tail like a baseball bat. It overcame its weaknesses--relatively short, flimsy arms, short legs and bad vision--with its powerful jaw and its mouthful of sharp, serrated teeth.

Home Turf: Africa - Madagascar

When It Lived: Late Cretaceous Period (about 70 million years ago)

What's For Dinner?:
Majungatholus was at the top of the food chain in its region; it ate titanosaurs and other sauropod dinosaurs (gigantic, long-necked plant-eaters). When food was scarce, there is also evidence of scavenging and cannibalism.

Did You Know?:
By examining a 67-million-year-old Majungatholus fossil, scientists confirmed that therapod dinosaurs had respiratory systems similar to that of birds, with flexible air sacs that allow the lungs a constant supply of air instead of requiring inward and outward breaths (like mammals).