#caletodraco

[fishsfailureson]

Caletodraco

[new-dinosaurs]

Caletodraco cottardi Buffetaut et al., 2024 (new genus and species)

(Type specimen of Caletodraco cottardi, from Buffetaut et al., 2024)

Meaning of name: Caletodraco = Caleti [Celtic tribe that lived in what is now Normandy] dragon [in Latin]; cottardi = for Nicolas Cottard [discoverer of the original fossil]

Age: Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian)

Where found: Saint-Jouin-Bruneval, Normandy, France

How much is known: Partial skeleton of one individual including a partial hip and a tail vertebra. An isolated tooth found nearby may also belong to same individual.

Notes: Caletodraco was an abelisaurid ceratosaur, making it a close relative of genera like Carnotaurus and Aucasaurus. Most abelisaurids are known from the Southern Hemisphere, but they have also been found in Europe. Caletodraco is one of the oldest known European abelisaurids, and the first dinosaur to be reported from the marine fossil sites of the Pays de Caux region in Normandy.

Reference: Buffetaut, E., H. Tong, J. Girard, B. Hoyez, and J. Párraga. 2024. Caletodraco cottardi: a new furileusaurian abelisaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Cenomanian Chalk of Normandy (north-western France). Fossil Studies 2: 177–195. doi: 10.3390/fossils2030009

[randomnessreloaded]

A new dinosaur species has been discovered in France 🦖 Caletodraco, an abelisaurid predator, is rewriting Europe’s prehistoric story.

From fossils to fresh scientific insights, this discovery proves the ancient world still has secrets to reveal.