Majungasaurus crenatissimus

It being a UK bank holiday yesterday, I decided to apply myself to some good old-fashioned drawing with this lovely little Majungasaurus crenatissimus:

Copyright A V S Turner 2018
This magnificent abelisaurid hunted in the semi-arid coastal floodplains of Madagascar during the Maastrichtian stage of the Cretaceous period, around 70-66 ma. At up to 8m (26.2ft) long and with a head height of around the 3m (9.84ft), M crenatissimus was a moderate size for a theropod. However, with its distinctive stocky skull sporting a single horn on the frontal with a rugose boss covering the nasal area, Majungasaurus was a formidable predator.

The purpose of these unique adaptations is uncertain, but these may have been used for infra-species display and recognition. A specimen of Majungasaurus was originally erroneously identified as the remains of a Pachycephalosaurid and named Majungatholus, although further study showed the horny dome to actually be the horn core of Majungasaurus.

I'm enjoying working in analogue media again after so long and am looking forward to moving this study on to the next stage: preparing a reference sketch for my newest 3D sculpt!

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