Concavenator corcovatus

Overview

Concavenator, meaning "humpback hunter from Cuenca," was a medium-sized carnivorous dinosaur that lived approximately 125 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous in what is now Spain. This peculiar predator is famous for two unusual features: a strange hump on its back and possible quill knobs on its arms that may have supported feather-like structures!

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Taxonomy & Classification

• Clade: Theropoda
• Family: Carcharodontosauridae
• Diet: Carnivorous
• Locomotion: Bipedal

Concavenator was related to giant predators like Carcharodontosaurus and Giganotosaurus, but much smaller.

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Physical Characteristics

Size & Build

• Length: 5-6 meters (16-20 feet)
• Height: About 2 meters (6.5 feet) at the hip
• Weight: 320-400 kg (700-880 lbs)
• Build: Slender and agile hunter

The Mysterious Hump

Concavenator's most striking feature:

• Two extremely tall vertebrae in front of the hips
• Created a pointed hump on its back
• NOT a sail like Spinosaurus—more of a sharp ridge
• Scientists debate what it was for!

Possible Hump Functions

• Display to attract mates or intimidate rivals
• Species recognition ("I'm a Concavenator!")
• Fat storage for energy reserves
• Temperature regulation
• Probably covered in skin or keratin

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Did It Have Feathers?

Quill Knobs Discovery

Concavenator might have had arm feathers:

• Fossil shows small bumps on the arm bones
• Similar to quill knobs in modern birds
• In birds, these anchor large feathers
• Could mean Concavenator had arm quills or feathers!
• Debate continues among scientists

Why This Matters

• Carcharodontosaurids weren't thought to have feathers
• Would push feather evolution further back in the dinosaur family tree
• Shows even large predators might have had some feathery covering

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Hunting & Diet

Agile Predator

Concavenator was built for hunting:

• Fast and nimble compared to larger relatives
• Sharp, serrated teeth for slicing meat
• Strong arms with sharp claws
• Could take down prey its own size or smaller

Likely Prey

• Small to medium dinosaurs
• Ornithopods (plant-eating dinosaurs)
• Pterosaurs (if it could catch them)
• Possibly fish and small animals

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The Incredible Fossil

Las Hoyas, Spain

Concavenator was found in an exceptional site:

• Discovered in Las Hoyas fossil site in 2003
• Described in 2010
• Nearly complete skeleton—very rare!
• Even preserved skin impressions
• One of the best-preserved carcharodontosaurids

What Made Las Hoyas Special

• Ancient freshwater lagoon environment
• Fine sediment preserved amazing detail
• Shows exactly what this dinosaur looked like
• Found with other animals and plants from its ecosystem

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Living in Cretaceous Spain

The Ecosystem

Concavenator shared its world with:

• Other dinosaurs (iguanodonts, sauropods)
• Crocodiles and turtles
• Early birds
• Many fish and amphibians
• Spain was warm and swampy back then

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Concavenator vs. Other Carcharodontosaurids

Feature	Concavenator	Carcharodontosaurus	Giganotosaurus
Length	5-6m	12-13m	12-13m
Weight	400 kg	6,000 kg	8,000 kg
Hump	Yes (pointed)	No	No
Location	Spain	Africa	South America
Time	Early Cretaceous	Late Cretaceous	Late Cretaceous

Concavenator was the small, weird cousin of the giant carcharodontosaurids!

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Cool Facts

• Its name means "humpback hunter from Cuenca" (the Spanish region where it was found)
• The hump was formed by just two tall vertebrae—not a long sail!
• Concavenator may have been one of the first large theropods with feathery structures
• The fossil is so complete scientists could study its skin texture
• It's one of the best-known European dinosaurs
• Lived in a world where Europe was mostly tropical islands!
• Scientists can tell it was an adult from the fused bones in the skeleton

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Concavenator was proof that dinosaurs came in all shapes—a humped, possibly feathered predator that hunted through the swamps of ancient Spain!